Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Karlovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovo: $785 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Karlovo
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Karlovo Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Karlovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$785

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Karlovo

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $785 in Karlovo, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Karlovo $785

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,263 in Karlovo, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Karlovo $1,263

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,742 in Karlovo, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Karlovo $1,742

Budapest costs about 109% more than Karlovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Karlovo is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$7.09 BGN 12.34

98.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$33.57 BGN 58.4

81.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$8.66 BGN 15.07

19.75%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$1.45 BGN 2.53

138.62%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.03 BGN 1.79

100.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.74 BGN 1.28

139.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.96 BGN 3.41

88.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$1.75 BGN 3.04

117.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.17 BGN 2.04

-0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.84 BGN 1.47

120.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.87 BGN 3.25

28.34%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$3.27 BGN 5.69

22.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$9.92 BGN 17.26

14.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$8.31 BGN 14.45

-17.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$5.86 BGN 10.20

147.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.26 BGN 2.19

49.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.96 BGN 3.41

9.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$2.13 BGN 3.70

7.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.11 BGN 3.68

91.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.48 BGN 0.84

112.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.90 BGN 1.56

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.99 BGN 1.71

59.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.77 BGN 1.34

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$3.24 BGN 5.64

147.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$6.69 BGN 11.64

-7.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$0.99 BGN 1.72

25.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.89 BGN 3.29

8.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$1.11 BGN 1.93

43.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$23.67 BGN 41.18

16.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$1.17 BGN 2.03

193.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.71 BGN 1.23

87.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$11.78 BGN 20.50

73.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.40 BGN 2.43

37.86%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$30.0K BGN 52.2K

-2.84%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$22.3K BGN 38.8K

55.62%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$104 BGN 180

68.39%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$14.45 BGN 25.13

63.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$11.91 BGN 20.72

98.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$29.57 BGN 51.5

132.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$17.35 BGN 30.18

11.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$5.57 BGN 9.69

85.10%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$226 BGN 393

137.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,755 BGN 10.0K

192.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$28.50 BGN 49.60

250.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$11.54 BGN 20.08

274.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$56.9 BGN 99.0

96.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$45.99 BGN 80.0

158.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$335 BGN 583

148.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$191 BGN 332

229.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$534 BGN 929

196.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$403 BGN 701

196.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$1,320 BGN 2,297

333.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,083 BGN 1,885

264.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$448 BGN 779

282.40%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Karlovo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Karlovo

$191 24.3% 69.6% $438

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Karlovo

$205 26.2% 21.6% $56

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Karlovo

$121 15.4% 46.8% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Karlovo

$130 16.6% 41.4% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Karlovo

$64 8.2% 61.8% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Karlovo

$41 5.2% 54.5% $49

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Karlovo

$33 4.2% 25.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $335 in Karlovo. 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 282% 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 Karlovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $205 – making Karlovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇬 Karlovo

🕒 Local time

22:25 10:25 PM

23:25 11:25 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

23,919

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Karlovo 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Karlovo

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 Karlovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,177 in Karlovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 16% less in Karlovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $226 in Karlovo. 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 Karlovo, where all-in costs run around $785, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Karlovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karlovo – 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 Karlovo. 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.