Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Lviv

For one person, living is cheaper in Lviv: $1,007 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Lviv
Learn more

Lviv Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Lviv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$1,007

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Lviv

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,007 in Lviv, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Lviv $1,007

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,544 in Lviv, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Lviv $1,544

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,081 in Lviv, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Lviv $2,081

Budapest costs about 61% more than Lviv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Lviv is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$6.74 ₴302

107.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$36.43 ₴1,634

65.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$6.47 ₴290

53.94%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.17 ₴97.4

55.76%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$1.33 ₴59.5

60.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$1.31 ₴58.6

42.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.37 ₴106

58.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$2.98 ₴134

19.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.29 ₴57.9

-12.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$0.80 ₴35.92

130.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.65 ₴74.1

44.85%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.12 ₴94.9

80.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$9.18 ₴412

23.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$4.83 ₴217

39.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$7.83 ₴351

87.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$1.38 ₴61.8

33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.56 ₴69.9

28.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.72 ₴77.4

37.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$2.74 ₴123

37.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.83 ₴37.39

15.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$0.54 ₴24.18

90.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.47 ₴66.0

6.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.52 ₴23.39

26.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$3.28 ₴147

142.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$6.72 ₴302

-10.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$0.90 ₴40.57

44.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$1.61 ₴72.3

29.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.54 ₴24.08

177.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$19.80 ₴888

39.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$2.86 ₴128

15.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.32 ₴14.13

306.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$4.26 ₴191

364.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.74 ₴77.9

4.02%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$29.0K ₴1.3M

0.98%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$24.9K ₴1.1M

36.78%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$85.3 ₴3,825

99.30%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$6.00 ₴269

299.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$7.05 ₴316

232.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$32.05 ₴1,438

106.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$14.21 ₴637

34.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$4.71 ₴211

102.12%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$333 ₴14.9K

61.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$7,109 ₴318.8K

133.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$90.1 ₴4,043

12.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$43.99 ₴1,973

-2.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$95.8 ₴4,296

17.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$98.4 ₴4,414

20.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$492 ₴22.0K

63.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$390 ₴17.5K

61.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$908 ₴40.7K

70.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$631 ₴28.3K

85.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,991 ₴89.3K

182.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,279 ₴57.4K

210.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$643 ₴28.9K

152.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

13.33

-51.76%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lviv: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Lviv

$390 38.3% 38.1% $240

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Lviv

$185 18.2% 28.2% $73

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Lviv

$128 12.6% 43% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Lviv

$98 9.7% 54.8% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Lviv

$148 14.5% 12.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Lviv

$41 4.1% 51.4% $44

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Lviv

$26 2.6% 39.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $492 in Lviv. 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 153% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $36.00 in Lviv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $185 – making Lviv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇺🇦 Lviv

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

13:25 1:25 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

728,350

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 44.85 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.26 UAH (100 UAH = 1.99 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Lviv 450 km

From you

Budapest
Lviv

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 Lviv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,511 in Lviv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 39% less in Lviv. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $333 in Lviv. 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 Lviv, where all-in costs run around $1,007, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Lviv it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lviv – 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 Lviv. 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.