Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kuressaare

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuressaare: $1,493 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Kuressaare
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Kuressaare Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Kuressaare

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,493

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kuressaare

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,493 in Kuressaare, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Kuressaare $1,493

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,215 in Kuressaare, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Kuressaare $2,215

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,937 in Kuressaare, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Kuressaare $2,937

Budapest costs about 8% more than Kuressaare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Budapest and Kuressaare sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Kuressaare by 11%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$13.17 €11.71

5.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$68.1 €60.6

-10.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$9.15 €8.14

11.37%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.02 €3.58

-18.91%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$3.42 €3.04

-37.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$2.85 €2.54

-37.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$6.45 €5.74

-42.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$5.71 €5.08

-33.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.17 €1.05

-1.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.91 €1.70

-6.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.37 €2.11

5.06%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.94 €2.61

32.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$12.46 €11.08

-10.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$8.75 €7.78

-24.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.69 €13.06

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.76 €1.57

3.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.50 €1.34

36.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.40 €2.13

-1.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.95 €2.62

32.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.04 €0.93

-4.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.90 €0.80

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.87 €1.67

-15.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.18 €1.05

-43.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.82 €6.07

16.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$10.33 €9.19

-39.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.88 €1.67

-32.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.26 €2.01

-10.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.18 €1.94

-30.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$27.78 €24.71

0.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.49 €3.10

-5.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.99 €0.88

38.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$26.97 €23.99

-26.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.00 €1.78

-9.00%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$27.4K €24.4K

8.75%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$30.1K €26.7K

12.49%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$309 €275

-44.69%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$11.30 €10.05

108.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$35.12 €31.24

-33.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$34.03 €30.27

98.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$11.74 €10.45

-20.78%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$438 €389

21.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$11.7K €10.4K

43.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$111 €98.9

-10.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$48.47 €43.12

-10.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$104 €92.4

6.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$121 €107

-1.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$505 €450

64.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$332 €295

87.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$668 €594

138.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$501 €446

133.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,122 €3,666

41.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,475 €2,202

57.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,293 €1,150

27.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.93

64.12%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kuressaare: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Kuressaare

$332 22.2% 46.7% $290

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Kuressaare

$281 18.8% 8.8% $23

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Kuressaare

$250 16.7% 12% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Kuressaare

$356 23.8% 63.3% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Kuressaare

$173 11.6% 3.2% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Kuressaare

$58 3.9% 33.2% $29

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kuressaare

$45 3% 1.6% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $505 in Kuressaare. 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 28% 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 $68.0 in Kuressaare. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $281 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇪🇪 Kuressaare

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

04:38 4:38 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

15,170

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Kuressaare 1,220 km ≈ 2 h 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 Kuressaare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,240 in Kuressaare. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 1% less in Kuressaare. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $438 in Kuressaare. 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 Kuressaare, where all-in costs run around $1,493, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kuressaare it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kuressaare – 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 Kuressaare. 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.