Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Oradea

For one person, living is cheaper in Oradea: $975 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Oradea
Learn more

Oradea Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Oradea

🇷🇴 Romania

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Oradea

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $975 in Oradea, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Oradea $975

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,443 in Oradea, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Oradea $1,443

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,912 in Oradea, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Oradea $1,912

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

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Oradea is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$8.49 RON 40.15

64.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$42.39 RON 200

42.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$7.49 RON 35.42

32.98%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.61 RON 12.34

29.50%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$1.82 RON 8.61

17.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$1.70 RON 8.04

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.15 RON 10.17

74.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.21 RON 15.21

11.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.48 RON 7.00

-23.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.02 RON 4.83

80.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.19 RON 5.64

100.84%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.85 RON 13.46

34.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$8.25 RON 39.03

37.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$6.23 RON 29.45

8.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$9.05 RON 42.80

62.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$1.06 RON 5.03

73.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.48 RON 7.01

35.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.45 RON 6.85

62.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.40 RON 6.64

169.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.86 RON 4.09

11.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$0.88 RON 4.17

17.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.70 RON 3.30

122.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.82 RON 3.89

-19.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$5.95 RON 28.12

33.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$5.69 RON 26.93

5.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.04 RON 4.91

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$1.83 RON 8.68

13.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.77 RON 3.66

94.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$18.97 RON 89.7

45.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$0.75 RON 3.56

340.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.76 RON 3.61

71.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$7.27 RON 34.41

172.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.78 RON 8.40

1.69%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$28.6K RON 135.5K

2.40%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$25.1K RON 118.6K

36.02%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$137 RON 649

23.78%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$6.32 RON 29.90

279.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$8.08 RON 38.21

189.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$46.21 RON 219

43.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$16.19 RON 76.6

18.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$7.50 RON 35.46

26.93%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$397 RON 1,876

35.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$9,125 RON 43.2K

81.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$60.7 RON 287

66.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$37.01 RON 175

16.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$54.1 RON 256

108.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$64.2 RON 304

84.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$401 RON 1,895

100.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$310 RON 1,466

102.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$536 RON 2,534

189.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$397 RON 1,876

194.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,969 RON 9,314

185.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,925 RON 9,105

106.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$895 RON 4,235

81.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

7.1

-9.44%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Oradea: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Oradea

$310 31.4% 50.7% $319

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Oradea

$188 19.1% 26.8% $69

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Oradea

$153 15.5% 31.8% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Oradea

$152 15.4% 30.2% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Oradea

$97 9.8% 42.5% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Oradea

$61 6.2% 28.2% $24

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Oradea

$27 2.7% 38.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $401 in Oradea. 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 82% 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 $42.00 in Oradea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $188 – making Oradea the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Oradea

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

07:52 7:52 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

196,367

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Budapest Oradea 220 km

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Budapest
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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 Oradea: 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 $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,462 in Oradea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 46% less in Oradea. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $397 in Oradea. 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 Oradea, where all-in costs run around $975, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Oradea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Oradea – 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 Oradea. 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.