Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kastamonu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kastamonu: $1,004 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Kastamonu
Learn more

Kastamonu Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Kastamonu

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kastamonu

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,004 in Kastamonu, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Kastamonu $1,004

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,638 in Kastamonu, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Kastamonu $1,638

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,273 in Kastamonu, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Kastamonu $2,273

Budapest costs about 63% more than Kastamonu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Kastamonu is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$10.27 ₺509

36.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$59.9 ₺2,964

1.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$10.62 ₺526

-2.35%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$4.09 ₺202

-15.40%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.77 ₺38.27

168.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.29 ₺14.23

510.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.79 ₺88.6

106.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$2.07 ₺102

83.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.17 ₺57.9

-0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$2.00 ₺98.8

-7.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$2.78 ₺138

-13.67%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$1.98 ₺97.8

101.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$8.19 ₺405

39.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$4.11 ₺203

67.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$26.23 ₺1,299

-44.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$2.34 ₺116

-19.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.85 ₺91.6

15.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.52 ₺75.3

51.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$1.00 ₺49.45

304.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.31 ₺15.46

229.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.25 ₺12.31

296.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.83 ₺40.99

90.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.64 ₺31.66

9.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$2.17 ₺107

270.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$9.33 ₺462

-33.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.61 ₺79.5

-22.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$2.29 ₺113

-10.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.69 ₺34.14

130.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$2.05 ₺102

67.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.68 ₺33.71

95.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$6.39 ₺317

220.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.28 ₺63.6

50.78%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$40.5K ₺2.0M

-28.09%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$39.9K ₺2.0M

-13.05%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$90.3 ₺4,472

93.28%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$4.31 ₺213

448.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$12.49 ₺618

88.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$57.1 ₺2,826

20.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$3.11 ₺154

519.29%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$4.10 ₺203

151.46%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$257 ₺12.7K

108.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$10.0K ₺495.3K

68.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$41.09 ₺2,034

143.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$30.69 ₺1,519

40.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$71.6 ₺3,545

56.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$59.3 ₺2,937

100.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$426 ₺21.1K

95.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$300 ₺14.8K

110.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$766 ₺37.9K

107.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$552 ₺27.4K

116.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$1,401 ₺69.3K

308.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,041 ₺51.5K

279.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$1,275 ₺63.1K

34.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-86.84%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kastamonu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Kastamonu

$300 29.8% 52.4% $330

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Kastamonu

$252 25.1% 3.7% $9.7

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Kastamonu

$180 18% 20.3% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Kastamonu

$107 10.7% 51.7% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Kastamonu

$91 9.1% 45.8% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Kastamonu

$65 6.5% 27% $24

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kastamonu

$8.2 * 0.8% 81.3% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $426 in Kastamonu. 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 34% 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 $60.0 in Kastamonu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $252 – making Kastamonu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇷 Kastamonu

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

08:38 8:38 AM

2 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

152,541

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Kastamonu 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Kastamonu

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 Kastamonu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,506 in Kastamonu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $60.0 in Kastamonu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kastamonu, where all-in costs run around $1,004, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Kastamonu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kastamonu – 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 Kastamonu. 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.