Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ioannina

For one person, living is cheaper in Ioannina: $1,378 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Ioannina
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Ioannina Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Ioannina

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,378

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ioannina

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Ioannina actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,378 in Ioannina, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Ioannina $1,378

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,102 in Ioannina, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Ioannina $2,102

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,827 in Ioannina, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Ioannina $2,827

Budapest costs about 17% more than Ioannina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Ioannina sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Ioannina by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,517

$16.71 €14.90

-16.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$33.81 €30.14

81.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,302

$11.10 €9.89

-8.20%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,058

$4.06 €3.62

-19.70%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 Ft 693

$2.87 €2.56

-25.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 578

$0.58 €0.52

206.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,202

$4.50 €4.02

-17.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,221

$5.65 €5.04

-33.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.68 €1.50

-31.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 579

$1.13 €1.01

58.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$3.70 €3.30

-32.70%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,265

$3.56 €3.17

9.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,599

$10.92 €9.74

1.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,146

$9.02 €8.04

-26.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,761

$12.08 €10.77

21.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 593

$2.49 €2.22

-26.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 663

$1.98 €1.76

3.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 768

$1.20 €1.07

97.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,264

$2.63 €2.34

48.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 321

$1.16 €1.04

-14.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$1.02 €0.91

-1.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$1.01 €0.90

56.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.85 €0.75

-21.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,580

$5.42 €4.84

46.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,015

$6.49 €5.79

-4.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 412

$2.00 €1.79

-36.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

$3.28 €2.92

-38.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$1.31 €1.17

16.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,082

$41.58 €37.07

-32.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,073

$4.27 €3.81

-22.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$1.13 €1.01

21.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,427

$6.86 €6.12

189.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 590

$2.05 €1.83

-11.22%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$27.9K €24.8K

6.94%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$24.8K €22.1K

36.17%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$171 Ft 55.5K

$213 €190

-19.73%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.51 Ft 7,620

$22.85 €20.37

2.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,550

$28.89 €25.76

-19.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$45.24 €40.33

49.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,124

$44.82 €39.96

-57.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,013

$8.76 €7.81

6.16%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$533 Ft 172.9K

$339 €303

57.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$8,804 €7,850

90.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$67.3 €60.0

48.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$46.06 €41.07

-5.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$76.2 €68.0

44.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$133 €119

-10.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.2K

$457 €407

81.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.6K

$322 €287

92.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 516.5K

$699 €623

127.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.3K

$617 €550

89.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,927 €2,610

99.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,433 €2,170

59.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.2K

$1,056 €941

56.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.73

36.36%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ioannina: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Ioannina

$322 23.4% 48.2% $300

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Ioannina

$263 19.1% 1.9% $4.9

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Ioannina

$263 19.1% 18.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Ioannina

$265 19.2% 21.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Ioannina

$145 10.6% 13.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Ioannina

$63 4.6% 27.1% $23

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ioannina

$57 4.1% 28.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $457 in Ioannina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 56% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $34.00 in Ioannina. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $263 in Ioannina – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇷 Ioannina

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

14:24 2:24 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

89,061

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Ioannina 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Ioannina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,067 in Ioannina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ioannina, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Ioannina. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $339 in Ioannina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ioannina, where all-in costs run around $1,378, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ioannina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ioannina – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ioannina. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.