Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kyustendil

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyustendil: $796 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Kyustendil
Learn more

Kyustendil Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Kyustendil

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$796

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kyustendil

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $796 in Kyustendil, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Kyustendil $796

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,225 in Kyustendil, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Kyustendil $1,225

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,653 in Kyustendil, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Kyustendil $1,653

Budapest costs about 103% more than Kyustendil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Kyustendil is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$10.21 BGN 17.76

36.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$33.94 BGN 59.1

80.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.18 BGN 9.01

96.72%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.42 BGN 2.47

129.58%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.11 BGN 1.93

92.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.66 BGN 1.14

169.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.15 BGN 2.00

222.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.44 BGN 2.51

161.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.61 BGN 2.80

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.71 BGN 1.23

152.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.50 BGN 2.60

66.00%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.31 BGN 4.02

68.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$6.85 BGN 11.92

62.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.93 BGN 6.83

68.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$7.44 BGN 12.95

97.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$0.72 BGN 1.25

154.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.68 BGN 2.92

22.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.11 BGN 1.93

113.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.58 BGN 2.75

146.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.61 BGN 1.06

62.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.55 BGN 0.96

81.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.56 BGN 0.97

182.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.62 BGN 1.08

8.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.47 BGN 6.03

129.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.07 BGN 7.08

52.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.82 BGN 1.42

54.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$0.65 BGN 1.14

212.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.90 BGN 1.57

68.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$24.57 BGN 42.76

14.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.28 BGN 2.23

158.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.66 BGN 1.14

107.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$11.21 BGN 19.50

76.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.61 BGN 2.80

13.04%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$14.2K BGN 24.7K

109.50%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$13.3K BGN 23.1K

154.20%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$92.8 BGN 162

84.32%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$14.89 BGN 25.91

57.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$12.09 BGN 21.03

92.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$30.34 BGN 52.8

122.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$17.35 BGN 30.19

8.88%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$3.98 BGN 6.92

133.67%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$114 BGN 198

369.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$2,325 BGN 4,045

620.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$30.00 BGN 52.2

232.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$19.59 BGN 34.08

122.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$60.9 BGN 106

81.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$45.29 BGN 78.8

162.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$336 BGN 585

147.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$252 BGN 439

146.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$554 BGN 963

187.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$402 BGN 700

191.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,315 BGN 2,287

343.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,054 BGN 1,833

269.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$646 BGN 1,125

155.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.99

115.72%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kyustendil: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Kyustendil

$252 31.7% 59.4% $370

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Kyustendil

$153 19.2% 40.6% $105

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Kyustendil

$130 16.3% 41.7% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Kyustendil

$120 15.1% 45% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Kyustendil

$70 8.8% 58.2% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Kyustendil

$38 4.8% 55.5% $48

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kyustendil

$33 4.1% 26% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $336 in Kyustendil. 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 155% 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 Kyustendil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $153 – making Kyustendil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇬 Kyustendil

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

07:41 7:41 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

47,640

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Kyustendil 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Kyustendil

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 Kyustendil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 103%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,194 in Kyustendil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 14% less in Kyustendil. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $114 in Kyustendil. 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 Kyustendil, where all-in costs run around $796, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kyustendil it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kyustendil – 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 Kyustendil. 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.