Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Istanbul

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 Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Istanbul $3,272

Budapest costs about 6% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Budapest and Istanbul sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$11.88 ₺585

17.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$55.1 ₺2,715

9.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$9.14 ₺450

8.97%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$4.24 ₺209

-20.28%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$1.75 ₺86.0

21.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.54 ₺26.84

246.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$4.69 ₺231

-20.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$5.97 ₺294

-40.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.26 ₺62.1

-10.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$0.95 ₺46.82

93.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.31 ₺114

3.46%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$2.47 ₺122

55.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$10.55 ₺520

7.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$5.60 ₺276

20.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$21.21 ₺1,045

-30.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$1.93 ₺95.1

-4.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$2.29 ₺113

-12.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.28 ₺63.1

84.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$1.84 ₺90.8

104.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$0.67 ₺32.87

43.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$0.59 ₺29.31

74.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.33 ₺65.4

17.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.59 ₺29.11

11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$2.36 ₺116

237.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$13.47 ₺664

-55.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$2.42 ₺119

-46.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$3.54 ₺174

-41.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.83 ₺40.65

80.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$66.5 ₺3,274

-58.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$1.35 ₺66.6

144.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.85 ₺42.06

52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$10.86 ₺535

82.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.47 ₺72.3

23.13%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-43.19%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-23.26%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$89.2 ₺4,396

90.47%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$11.60 ₺572

106.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$16.10 ₺793

45.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$77.3 ₺3,806

-14.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$22.66 ₺1,116

-15.36%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$8.34 ₺411

14.15%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$974 ₺48.0K

-44.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-35.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$52.7 ₺2,597

92.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$39.16 ₺1,930

9.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$103 ₺5,084

9.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$96.6 ₺4,760

22.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$994 ₺49.0K

-19.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$629 ₺31.0K

-0.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-23.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

1.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$3,160 ₺155.7K

77.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,838 ₺90.5K

115.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

35.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

41.09

-84.35%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 0% $0.1

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 2.5% $6.4

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 2.8% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 46.2% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 22.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 10.1% $8.7

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 73.5% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $994 in Istanbul. 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 35% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $264 in Istanbul – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

03:31 3:31 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Istanbul 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Istanbul

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 Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 141% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – 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 Istanbul. 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.