Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Lousã

For one person, living costs are similar in Budapest and in Lousã: $1,641 and $1,617 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Lousã
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Lousã Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Lousã

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Lousã

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,617 in Lousã, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Lousã $1,617

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $2,372 in Lousã, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Lousã $2,372

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $3,128 in Lousã, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Lousã $3,128

Budapest costs about 1% more than Lousã, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Lousã sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Lousã by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$13.57 €12.07

3.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$46.92 €41.74

29.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$9.10 €8.09

13.96%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.13 €1.89

62.44%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$2.00 €1.78

3.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$1.44 €1.28

22.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$2.20 €1.96

67.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$2.73 €2.43

39.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.06 €0.95

9.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.50 €1.34

23.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.68 €1.50

42.86%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$2.82 €2.51

41.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$11.64 €10.35

-2.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$7.57 €6.74

-9.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$14.54 €12.93

-0.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.95 €1.74

-3.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.52 €1.35

40.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.83 €1.63

25.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.54 €2.26

59.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$1.84 €1.64

-44.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.96 €1.74

-49.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.59 €1.41

-0.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.72 €0.64

-2.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$6.46 €5.75

24.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$4.55 €4.04

35.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.25 €1.11

-0.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$2.16 €1.92

-4.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$2.26 €2.01

-29.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$41.25 €36.69

-33.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$4.39 €3.90

-21.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$1.43 €1.27

-6.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$13.83 €12.30

47.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$2.09 €1.86

-7.66%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$33.5K €29.8K

-12.93%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$38.6K €34.3K

-10.07%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$106 €94.3

64.61%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$17.49 €15.56

35.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$31.93 €28.41

-26.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$41.29 €36.73

66.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$16.81 €14.96

14.57%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$8.28 €7.36

24.52%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$458 €407

16.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,410 €5,702

162.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$96.7 €86.0

3.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$35.44 €31.52

22.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$75.1 €66.8

48.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$105 €93.6

13.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$976 €868

-14.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$766 €682

-17.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$1,550 €1,379

2.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$1,181 €1,051

1.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$2,980 €2,650

91.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$2,237 €1,990

76.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.7

74.32%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lousã: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Lousã

$766 47.4% 21.8% $137

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Lousã

$243 15% 7.1% $19

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Lousã

$192 11.9% 15.4% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Lousã

$155 9.6% 29.9% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Lousã

$141 8.7% 16.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Lousã

$58 3.6% 35.4% $32

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Lousã

$62 3.8% 40.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $976 in Lousã. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $47.00 in Lousã. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $243 – making Lousã the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇹 Lousã

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

22:44 10:44 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

17,007

💱 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 Lousã 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min 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 Lousã: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $2,425 in Lousã. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 50% less in Lousã. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $458 in Lousã. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lousã, where all-in costs run around $1,617, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Lousã it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lousã – 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 Lousã. 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.