Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kefalonia

For one person, living is cheaper in Kefalonia: $1,551 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Kefalonia
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Kefalonia Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Kefalonia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,551

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kefalonia

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,551 in Kefalonia, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Kefalonia $1,551

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $2,322 in Kefalonia, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Kefalonia $2,322

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $3,092 in Kefalonia, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Kefalonia $3,092

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$14.80 €13.16

-5.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$38.73 €34.45

57.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$10.23 €9.10

1.37%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$3.14 €2.79

10.19%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$3.44 €3.06

-39.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.61 €0.54

190.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$4.68 €4.16

-21.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$5.38 €4.79

-29.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.55 €1.38

-25.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.39 €1.24

33.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$2.58 €2.30

-6.98%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$4.69 €4.17

-14.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$13.39 €11.91

-14.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$9.56 €8.51

-28.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$14.16 €12.59

2.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$2.18 €1.94

-13.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$2.09 €1.86

2.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.38 €1.22

66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.01 €1.79

101.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$1.12 €0.99

-8.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.12 €1.00

-11.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.09 €0.97

44.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.87 €0.78

-19.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$5.26 €4.68

52.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$6.71 €5.97

-7.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$2.58 €2.30

-51.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$2.53 €2.25

-18.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$1.37 €1.22

16.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$45.22 €40.23

-39.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$4.20 €3.73

-18.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$1.11 €0.99

19.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$16.11 €14.33

26.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.99 €1.77

-3.02%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$27.6K €24.6K

5.50%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$25.0K €22.2K

38.87%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$277 €246

-36.93%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$23.48 €20.89

0.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$30.05 €26.73

-21.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$50.7 €45.08

35.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$24.90 €22.15

-22.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$9.15 €8.14

12.68%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$427 €380

25.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$7,666 €6,819

119.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$88.7 €78.9

12.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$40.31 €35.85

7.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$93.9 €83.5

18.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$120 €107

-0.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$527 €469

57.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$420 €374

49.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$1,093 €972

45.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$786 €699

52.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$2,638 €2,347

116.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$2,187 €1,946

80.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$1,095 €974

56.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.46

44.62%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kefalonia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Kefalonia

$420 27.1% 33.3% $209

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Kefalonia

$280 18.1% 6.9% $18

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Kefalonia

$237 15.3% 4.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Kefalonia

$330 21.3% 48.9% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Kefalonia

$154 9.9% 8.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Kefalonia

$69 4.5% 22.9% $20

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kefalonia

$60 3.9% 37.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $527 in Kefalonia. 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 56% 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 $39.00 in Kefalonia. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Budapest vs $280 in Kefalonia – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇷 Kefalonia

🕒 Local time

21:33 9:33 PM

22:33 10:33 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

36,404

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Kefalonia 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Kefalonia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $2,326 in Kefalonia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 64% less in Kefalonia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $427 in Kefalonia. 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 Kefalonia, where all-in costs run around $1,551, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Kefalonia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kefalonia – 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 Kefalonia. 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.