Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Lake Balaton Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Lake Balaton

😐 Solo nomad: Budapest is 20.7% more expensive than Lake Balaton without rent, and 31.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Budapest is 19.5% more expensive than Lake Balaton without rent, and 32.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.49 Ft 3,879

$8.37 Ft 2,825

37.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 Ft 19.4K

$46.03 Ft 15.5K

25.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.72 Ft 2,942

$8.54 Ft 2,884

2.11%

Cappuccino

$2.75 Ft 927

$1.99 Ft 672

38.19%

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

$1.72 Ft 582

$1.43 Ft 483

20.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 438

$0.98 Ft 330

32.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 Ft 987

$1.89 Ft 639

54.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 Ft 999

$2.21 Ft 744

33.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 Ft 414

$1.09 Ft 368

12.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 Ft 590

$1.57 Ft 528

11.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 Ft 719

$1.84 Ft 621

15.76%

Eggs

$3.01 Ft 1,016

$2.70 Ft 911

11.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.92 Ft 3,349

$9.09 Ft 3,068

9.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 Ft 2,050

$6.04 Ft 2,040

0.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.23 Ft 4,464

$12.00 Ft 4,051

10.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 Ft 630

$1.80 Ft 608

3.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 Ft 676

$1.97 Ft 665

1.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 Ft 707

$2.06 Ft 696

1.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.46 Ft 1,169

$2.96 Ft 998

16.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 Ft 395

$1.11 Ft 375

5.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 Ft 423

$1.18 Ft 397

5.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 Ft 501

$1.47 Ft 496

1.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 Ft 194

$0.56 Ft 188

3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 Ft 2,213

$6.60 Ft 2,226

-0.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.41 Ft 1,824

$5.93 Ft 2,000

-8.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 Ft 405

$1.07 Ft 360

12.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 Ft 559

$1.42 Ft 478

16.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 Ft 430

$1.13 Ft 382

12.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.89 Ft 8,737

$25.20 Ft 8,505

2.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 Ft 1,060

$2.93 Ft 989

7.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 Ft 391

$1.11 Ft 374

4.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.04 Ft 6,425

$17.15 Ft 5,789

11.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 Ft 597

$1.70 Ft 574

4.12%

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

$25.6K Ft 8.6M

$25.8K Ft 8.7M

-0.73%

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

$30.4K Ft 10.3M

$30.9K Ft 10.4M

-1.65%

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

$148 Ft 49.8K

$141 Ft 47.6K

4.82%

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

$26.65 Ft 8,995

$26.45 Ft 8,928

0.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.73 Ft 6,658

$19.57 Ft 6,606

0.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.2 Ft 21.3K

$45.91 Ft 15.5K

37.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.43 Ft 7,569

$16.47 Ft 5,560

36.19%

Cinema Ticket

$9.09 Ft 3,069

$7.45 Ft 2,515

22.01%

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

$456 Ft 154.1K

$296 Ft 99.8K

54.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Ft 4.1M

$6,535 Ft 2.2M

86.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.2 Ft 29.4K

$72.2 Ft 24.4K

20.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 Ft 14.1K

$26.80 Ft 9,046

55.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 Ft 32.3K

$71.5 Ft 24.1K

33.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 Ft 35.3K

$80.2 Ft 27.1K

30.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 Ft 247.5K

$452 Ft 152.4K

62.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$555 Ft 187.3K

$342 Ft 115.5K

62.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,335 Ft 450.4K

$637 Ft 214.9K

109.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$952 Ft 321.2K

$535 Ft 180.5K

78.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,753 Ft 1.9M

$2,982 Ft 1.0M

92.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,049 Ft 1.4M

$2,284 Ft 770.8K

77.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,697 Ft 572.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.03

7.4

-5.00%

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

Last update for Budapest: March 2, 2026

Last update for Lake Balaton: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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