Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Palanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Palanga: $914 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Palanga
Learn more

Palanga Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Palanga

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Palanga

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $914 in Palanga, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Palanga $914

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,487 in Palanga, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Palanga $1,487

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,059 in Palanga, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Palanga $2,059

Budapest costs about 77% more than Palanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Palanga is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$12.15 €10.81

14.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$67.6 €60.2

-9.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.95 €7.08

28.18%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.43 €3.05

-4.96%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.65 €2.36

-19.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$2.86 €2.54

-37.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$5.45 €4.85

-31.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.88 €4.34

-22.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.44 €1.28

-20.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.80 €1.60

-0.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.77 €1.58

40.68%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.95 €2.62

32.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.97 €8.87

11.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.27 €6.47

-8.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$12.33 €10.96

19.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.57 €1.40

16.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.56 €1.39

31.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.65 €1.46

43.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.95 €2.62

32.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.79 €0.70

25.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.94 €0.84

6.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.47 €1.31

7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.82 €0.73

-18.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.73 €5.10

38.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$8.33 €7.41

-25.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.73 €1.54

-26.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.07 €1.84

-1.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$33.46 €29.76

-16.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.15 €1.02

187.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.87 €0.78

57.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$13.16 €11.70

50.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.82 €1.62

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$27.3K €24.2K

9.30%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$28.8K €25.6K

17.27%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$199 €177

-14.14%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$15.02 €13.36

56.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$14.04 €12.49

65.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$8.71 €7.75

6.77%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$461 €410

15.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$8,748 €7,782

91.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$85.3 €75.9

16.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$40.65 €36.16

6.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$81.4 €72.4

35.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$160 €143

-25.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$5,025 €4,469

16.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,866 €2,549

35.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,493 €1,328

10.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.05

59.26%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Palanga: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Palanga

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Palanga

$243 26.5% 6% $15

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Palanga

$221 24.2% 0.8% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Palanga

$228 25% 4.8% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Palanga

$166 18.1% 1.2% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Palanga

$17 * 1.9% 79.8% $69

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Palanga

$39 * 4.3% 11.9% $5.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 11% 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 $68.0 in Palanga. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $243 in Palanga – so Palanga wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇹 Palanga

🕒 Local time

12:38 12:38 PM

13:38 1:38 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

15,732

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Palanga 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Palanga

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 Palanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,371 in Palanga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Palanga. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $461 in Palanga. 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 Palanga, where all-in costs run around $914, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Palanga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palanga – 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 Palanga. 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.