Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Lovech

For one person, living is cheaper in Lovech: $974 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Lovech
Learn more

Lovech Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Lovech

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Lovech

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $974 in Lovech, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Lovech $974

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,507 in Lovech, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Lovech $1,507

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,040 in Lovech, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Lovech $2,040

Budapest costs about 66% more than Lovech, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Lovech is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,523

$13.93 BGN 24.38

0.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$34.09 BGN 59.7

79.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,306

$8.81 BGN 15.42

15.66%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,059

$0.83 BGN 1.45

292.77%

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

$2.14 Ft 694

$0.71 BGN 1.24

201.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$0.48 BGN 0.83

270.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$1.01 BGN 1.76

267.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$2.03 BGN 3.55

85.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.71 BGN 2.99

-32.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$0.96 BGN 1.68

86.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 807

$2.09 BGN 3.66

19.14%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$3.41 BGN 5.97

14.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,604

$9.95 BGN 17.41

11.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$8.73 BGN 15.27

-24.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,767

$11.43 BGN 20.00

28.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$2.24 BGN 3.92

-18.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$2.02 BGN 3.54

1.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$2.12 BGN 3.71

11.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$2.55 BGN 4.47

52.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$1.66 BGN 2.90

-40.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$0.97 BGN 1.70

62.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.85 BGN 1.48

-21.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,584

$3.63 BGN 6.34

119.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,018

$6.87 BGN 12.01

-9.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$1.03 BGN 1.81

23.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

$1.83 BGN 3.20

10.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$0.75 BGN 1.31

102.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,095

$24.69 BGN 43.20

13.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$1.68 BGN 2.94

97.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.75 BGN 1.32

82.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,436

$12.08 BGN 21.15

64.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.66 BGN 2.91

9.64%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$29.8K BGN 52.1K

0.05%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$22.0K BGN 38.6K

53.48%

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

$171 Ft 55.5K

$101 BGN 177

69.31%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,631

$14.45 BGN 25.29

62.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,560

$11.92 BGN 20.85

95.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$31.32 BGN 54.8

115.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,133

$16.24 BGN 28.42

16.32%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,018

$8.66 BGN 15.16

7.39%

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

$533 Ft 173.1K

$227 BGN 397

134.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,779 BGN 10.1K

189.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$57.7 BGN 101

72.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$28.99 BGN 50.7

50.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$70.9 BGN 124

55.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$73.5 BGN 129

61.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$328 BGN 575

152.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

$254 BGN 444

145.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.2K

$539 BGN 943

195.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.9K

$397 BGN 695

194.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,320 BGN 2,311

341.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,062 BGN 1,858

266.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.9K

$626 BGN 1,096

163.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.25

98.46%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lovech: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Lovech

$254 26.1% 59.2% $368

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Lovech

$246 25.2% 4.8% $12

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Lovech

$162 16.6% 27.5% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Lovech

$127 13.1% 41.5% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Lovech

$104 10.7% 37.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Lovech

$49 5% 43.5% $37

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Lovech

$33 3.4% 25.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $328 in Lovech. 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 164% 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 Lovech. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $246 – making Lovech the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇬 Lovech

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

00:01 12:01 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

37,297

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Lovech 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Lovech

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 Lovech: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,461 in Lovech. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 13% less in Lovech. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $227 in Lovech. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lovech, where all-in costs run around $974, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Lovech it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lovech – 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 Lovech. 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.