Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Medias

For one person, living is cheaper in Medias: $1,082 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Medias
Learn more

Medias Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Medias

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,082

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Medias

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,082 in Medias, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Medias $1,082

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,668 in Medias, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Medias $1,668

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,254 in Medias, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Medias $2,254

Budapest costs about 50% more than Medias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$11.00 RON 52.1

26.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$53.1 RON 251

15.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.16 RON 33.88

42.32%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.62 RON 17.12

-9.94%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.44 RON 11.57

-12.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$2.14 RON 10.14

-16.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.09 RON 14.60

20.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.37 RON 15.96

11.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.28 RON 6.05

-10.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.44 RON 6.79

24.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.79 RON 8.46

39.11%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.44 RON 16.27

13.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$8.63 RON 40.85

28.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.79 RON 32.15

-2.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$12.40 RON 58.7

18.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.53 RON 7.24

19.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.46 RON 6.90

40.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.58 RON 7.45

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.60 RON 12.32

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.83 RON 3.91

19.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.85 RON 4.04

17.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.90 RON 4.25

75.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.76 RON 3.59

-11.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.92 RON 28.03

34.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.16 RON 33.86

-13.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.18 RON 5.56

7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.87 RON 8.87

8.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.76 RON 3.60

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$21.20 RON 100

32.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.64 RON 3.01

417.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.66 RON 3.12

107.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.70 RON 31.69

195.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.41 RON 6.66

29.08%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$28.8K RON 136.5K

3.29%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$25.6K RON 120.9K

32.29%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$177 RON 838

-3.40%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$7.69 RON 36.39

205.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$9.07 RON 42.92

156.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$38.04 RON 180

77.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$20.64 RON 97.6

-8.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.49 RON 30.69

43.30%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$454 RON 2,146

17.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$7,061 RON 33.4K

137.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$51.2 RON 242

94.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$35.26 RON 167

23.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$75.7 RON 358

45.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$89.6 RON 424

32.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$392 RON 1,854

111.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$281 RON 1,329

121.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$593 RON 2,806

168.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$449 RON 2,126

160.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,878 RON 8,887

210.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,322 RON 6,253

194.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

7.2

-10.42%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medias: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Medias

$281 26% 54.8% $341

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Medias

$222 20.5% 14.1% $36

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Medias

$193 17.9% 13.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Medias

$194 17.9% 11% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Medias

$113 10.5% 32.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Medias

$51 4.7% 40.8% $35

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Medias

$28 2.6% 36.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $392 in Medias. 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 $53.0 in Medias. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $222 – making Medias the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Medias

🕒 Local time

20:39 8:39 PM

21:39 9:39 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

53,564

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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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 Medias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 50%, 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 $1,623 in Medias. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 32% less in Medias. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $454 in Medias. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medias, where all-in costs run around $1,082, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Medias it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medias – 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 Medias. 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.