Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kardzhali

For one person, living is cheaper in Kardzhali: $653 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Kardzhali
Learn more

Kardzhali Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Kardzhali

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$653

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kardzhali

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $653 in Kardzhali, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Kardzhali $653

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,071 in Kardzhali, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Kardzhali $1,071

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,489 in Kardzhali, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Kardzhali $1,489

Budapest costs about 148% more than Kardzhali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Kardzhali is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$11.22 BGN 19.52

24.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$22.74 BGN 39.57

169.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$9.05 BGN 15.75

12.60%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.11 BGN 1.92

193.69%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.04 BGN 1.80

105.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.70 BGN 1.21

154.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.62 BGN 2.82

129.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.33 BGN 2.31

183.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.64 BGN 2.85

-29.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.74 BGN 1.29

141.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.43 BGN 2.49

74.13%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.81 BGN 4.89

38.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.16 BGN 17.68

9.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.60 BGN 9.75

18.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$6.74 BGN 11.73

117.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$0.90 BGN 1.56

103.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.04 BGN 3.55

0.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.93 BGN 3.35

22.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.13 BGN 3.71

83.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.65 BGN 1.13

52.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.27 BGN 2.22

-21.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.72 BGN 1.26

119.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.80 BGN 1.39

-16.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.59 BGN 6.25

121.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.56 BGN 7.94

36.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.05 BGN 1.83

20.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.42 BGN 2.46

42.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.54 BGN 0.95

181.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$11.13 BGN 19.36

151.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.69 BGN 2.94

95.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.70 BGN 1.23

95.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$5.65 BGN 9.83

250.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.70 BGN 2.97

7.06%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$29.7K BGN 51.7K

0.27%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$22.4K BGN 39.0K

50.93%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$60.9 BGN 106

180.80%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$5.73 BGN 9.97

310.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$7.65 BGN 13.30

204.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$23.14 BGN 40.26

191.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$8.43 BGN 14.67

10.32%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$230 BGN 401

131.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$14.5K BGN 25.2K

15.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$22.87 BGN 39.79

335.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$12.49 BGN 21.73

248.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$45.07 BGN 78.4

144.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$75.0 BGN 130

58.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$114 BGN 198

630.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$114 BGN 198

445.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$228 BGN 396

599.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$275 BGN 479

325.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,145 BGN 1,993

409.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$858 BGN 1,493

353.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,281 BGN 2,229

28.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.25

98.46%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kardzhali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Kardzhali

$114 17.5% 81.7% $508

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Kardzhali

$189 28.9% 26.8% $69

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Kardzhali

$148 22.6% 33.7% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Kardzhali

$74 11.4% 65.9% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Kardzhali

$70 10.7% 58.3% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Kardzhali

$40 6.1% 53.6% $46

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kardzhali

$19 2.8% 58.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $114 in Kardzhali. 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 29% 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 $23.00 in Kardzhali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $189 – making Kardzhali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇬 Kardzhali

🕒 Local time

15:07 3:07 PM

16:07 4:07 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

49,421

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Kardzhali 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 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 Kardzhali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 148%, 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 $980 in Kardzhali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 152% less in Kardzhali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $230 in Kardzhali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kardzhali, where all-in costs run around $653, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kardzhali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kardzhali – 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 Kardzhali. 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.