Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Miercurea Ciuc

For one person, living is cheaper in Miercurea Ciuc: $735 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Miercurea Ciuc
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Miercurea Ciuc Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Miercurea Ciuc

🇷🇴 Romania

$735

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Miercurea Ciuc

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $735 in Miercurea Ciuc, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Miercurea Ciuc $735

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,172 in Miercurea Ciuc, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Miercurea Ciuc $1,172

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,609 in Miercurea Ciuc, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Miercurea Ciuc $1,609

Budapest costs about 120% more than Miercurea Ciuc, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Miercurea Ciuc is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.29 RON 29.78

121.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$20.86 RON 98.7

193.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.10 RON 28.85

67.05%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.72 RON 8.14

89.53%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.61 RON 7.63

32.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.39 RON 6.55

28.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.02 RON 9.56

83.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.94 RON 9.18

94.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.36 RON 6.45

-15.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.14 RON 5.41

57.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.33 RON 6.28

87.22%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.39 RON 16.03

15.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.97 RON 37.72

39.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.57 RON 21.61

44.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$7.97 RON 37.72

84.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$0.71 RON 3.37

157.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.49 RON 7.05

37.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.49 RON 7.04

59.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.48 RON 11.75

57.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.66 RON 3.10

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.66 RON 3.10

51.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.40 RON 1.91

295.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.66 RON 3.11

1.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.08 RON 24.05

56.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.18 RON 24.52

20.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.95 RON 4.49

33.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.28 RON 6.04

58.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.83 RON 3.91

83.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$21.11 RON 99.9

32.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.97 RON 4.59

241.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.85 RON 4.03

61.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$8.57 RON 40.54

131.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.68 RON 7.96

8.33%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$24.9K RON 117.8K

19.63%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.6K RON 116.4K

37.47%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$114 RON 540

49.87%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$5.37 RON 25.39

337.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$5.08 RON 24.05

358.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$31.21 RON 148

116.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$10.57 RON 50.0

78.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.77 RON 22.55

94.97%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$446 RON 2,109

19.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,729 RON 31.8K

149.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$42.42 RON 201

134.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$16.62 RON 78.6

161.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$68.6 RON 325

60.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$82.9 RON 392

43.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$185 RON 878

347.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$155 RON 731

302.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$414 RON 1,957

285.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$370 RON 1,750

216.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,476 RON 6,982

295.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,363 RON 6,447

185.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$691 RON 3,270

138.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.85

-5.84%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Miercurea Ciuc: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Miercurea Ciuc

$155 21% 75.2% $467

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Miercurea Ciuc

$176 23.9% 31.8% $82

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Miercurea Ciuc

$115 15.7% 48.3% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Miercurea Ciuc

$125 17% 42.8% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Miercurea Ciuc

$95 12.9% 43.5% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Miercurea Ciuc

$41 5.5% 52.7% $45

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Miercurea Ciuc

$30 4% 33% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $185 in Miercurea Ciuc. 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 139% 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 $21.00 in Miercurea Ciuc. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $176 – making Miercurea Ciuc the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Miercurea Ciuc

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

00:41 12:41 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

38,966

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Miercurea Ciuc 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Miercurea Ciuc: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,103 in Miercurea Ciuc. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 33% less in Miercurea Ciuc. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $446 in Miercurea Ciuc. 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 Miercurea Ciuc, where all-in costs run around $735, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Miercurea Ciuc it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Miercurea Ciuc – 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 Miercurea Ciuc. 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.