Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Onesti

For one person, living is cheaper in Onesti: $1,060 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Onesti
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Onesti Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Onesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Onesti

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,060 in Onesti, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Onesti $1,060

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,597 in Onesti, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Onesti $1,597

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,135 in Onesti, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Onesti $2,135

Budapest costs about 53% more than Onesti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Onesti is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$10.61 RON 50.2

31.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$42.76 RON 202

43.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.14 RON 33.78

42.72%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.89 RON 13.67

12.80%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.20 RON 10.41

-2.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.77 RON 8.36

0.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.21 RON 15.19

15.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.71 RON 17.56

1.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.04 RON 4.92

10.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.36 RON 6.46

31.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.06 RON 9.73

20.87%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.98 RON 14.10

30.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.23 RON 34.19

53.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.50 RON 30.74

1.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.94 RON 47.03

47.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.03 RON 4.89

77.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.45 RON 6.86

41.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.59 RON 7.55

49.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.08 RON 9.85

87.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.84 RON 3.99

17.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.89 RON 4.22

12.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.16 RON 5.51

36.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.61 RON 2.90

9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.40 RON 30.29

24.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.22 RON 24.69

19.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.37 RON 6.48

-7.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.03 RON 9.60

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.77 RON 3.64

97.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$21.59 RON 102

29.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.87 RON 4.12

280.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.80 RON 3.79

71.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$8.20 RON 38.79

141.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.44 RON 6.82

26.39%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$29.2K RON 137.9K

2.22%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$27.8K RON 131.4K

21.71%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$184 RON 870

-6.97%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$7.27 RON 34.40

223.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$8.67 RON 41.02

168.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$37.79 RON 179

78.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$20.49 RON 96.9

-7.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$8.58 RON 40.59

8.39%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$420 RON 1,987

27.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,932 RON 32.8K

141.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$38.31 RON 181

160.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$39.59 RON 187

9.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$91.9 RON 435

20.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$89.9 RON 425

32.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$377 RON 1,784

120.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$282 RON 1,333

120.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$587 RON 2,778

171.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$445 RON 2,106

162.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,876 RON 8,875

210.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,367 RON 6,466

184.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$618 RON 2,925

167.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

7.18

-10.17%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Onesti: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Onesti

$282 26.6% 54.7% $340

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Onesti

$197 18.5% 23.8% $61

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Onesti

$180 17% 19.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Onesti

$200 18.9% 8.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Onesti

$117 11% 30.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Onesti

$55 5.2% 36.2% $31

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Onesti

$30 2.8% 33.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $377 in Onesti. 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 167% 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 $43.00 in Onesti. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $197 – making Onesti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Onesti

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

00:03 12:03 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

57,333

💱 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 Onesti 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Onesti

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 Onesti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,590 in Onesti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 30% less in Onesti. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $420 in Onesti. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Onesti, where all-in costs run around $1,060, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Onesti it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Onesti – 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 Onesti. 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.