Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Karditsa

For one person, living is cheaper in Karditsa: $1,317 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Karditsa
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Karditsa Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Karditsa

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Karditsa

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,317 in Karditsa, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Karditsa $1,317

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,019 in Karditsa, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Karditsa $2,019

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,722 in Karditsa, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Karditsa $2,722

Budapest costs about 23% more than Karditsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Karditsa is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$11.13 €9.90

25.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$59.4 €52.9

3.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.96 €7.08

28.02%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.16 €2.81

3.16%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.90 €1.69

12.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.58 €0.52

206.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$4.49 €3.99

-17.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$5.00 €4.45

-24.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.55 €1.38

-25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.38 €1.23

29.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.21 €1.08

105.79%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.17 €2.82

23.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$11.07 €9.84

0.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$9.99 €8.88

-33.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.54 €12.94

1.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.60 €1.42

14.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.10 €1.87

-2.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.36 €1.21

74.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.81 €0.72

381.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.93 €0.82

6.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.70 €0.63

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.91 €0.81

73.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.98 €0.87

-31.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.14 €4.57

54.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.50 €5.78

-4.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.92 €0.82

38.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$0.87 €0.77

133.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.32 €1.17

15.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$44.36 €39.45

-36.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.20 €1.96

50.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.11 €0.98

23.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$13.90 €12.37

42.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.18 €1.94

-16.51%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$28.4K €25.2K

5.09%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$23.3K €20.8K

44.88%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$159 €142

7.38%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$24.09 €21.42

-2.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$27.80 €24.73

-16.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$37.34 €33.21

80.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$25.88 €23.02

-27.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$8.04 €7.15

15.67%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$481 €427

10.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,568 €4,063

266.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$70.1 €62.4

42.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$35.70 €31.75

21.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$77.6 €69.0

42.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$99.6 €88.6

19.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$475 €423

74.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$431 €384

44.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$676 €601

135.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$695 €618

68.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,619 €2,330

122.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,257 €2,008

72.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$833 €741

98.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.36

47.94%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Karditsa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Karditsa

$431 32.8% 30.6% $190

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Karditsa

$243 18.4% 5.9% $15

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Karditsa

$193 14.7% 13.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Karditsa

$211 16% 3.1% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Karditsa

$127 9.7% 24% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Karditsa

$53 4.1% 38% $33

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Karditsa

$57 4.4% 29.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $475 in Karditsa. 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 98% 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 $59.0 in Karditsa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $243 – making Karditsa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇷 Karditsa

🕒 Local time

01:38 1:38 AM

02:38 2:38 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

38,554

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Karditsa 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Karditsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,975 in Karditsa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 58% less in Karditsa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $481 in Karditsa. 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 Karditsa, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Karditsa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karditsa – 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 Karditsa. 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.