Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Patna

For one person, living is cheaper in Patna: $372 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest, Hungary
Patna, India
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,647
/mo nomad
Patna
🇮🇳 India
$372
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Patna

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $372 in Patna, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,647
  • Patna $372

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $612 in Patna, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,567
  • Patna $612

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $852 in Patna, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,488
  • Patna $852

Budapest costs about 343% more than Patna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Patna is 72% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Patna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.63 Ft 4,407
$2.17 ₹205
528.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.7 Ft 19.6K
$9.24 ₹872
556.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.02 Ft 3,239
$3.15 ₹297
218.10%
Cappuccino
$3.33 Ft 1,075
$1.66 ₹157
100.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 Ft 684
$0.36 ₹33.56
488.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 Ft 581
$0.14 ₹13.10
1185.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.61 Ft 1,166
$1.98 ₹187
82.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.59 Ft 1,160
$5.92 ₹560
-39.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Patna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 Ft 361
$0.61 ₹57.5
83.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.93 Ft 623
$0.43 ₹40.91
348.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 Ft 804
$0.58 ₹55.3
329.31%
Eggs
$3.94 Ft 1,275
$0.90 ₹84.9
337.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.28 Ft 3,646
$6.80 ₹642
65.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.73 Ft 2,177
$2.18 ₹206
208.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.44 Ft 4,670
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 Ft 601
$1.38 ₹130
34.78%
Banana (1kg)
$2.04 Ft 658
$0.73 ₹69.4
179.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.29 Ft 740
$1.01 ₹95.3
126.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.99 Ft 1,290
$0.46 ₹43.35
767.39%
Potato (1kg)
$0.94 Ft 304
$0.33 ₹31.11
184.85%
Onion (1kg)
$1.02 Ft 330
$0.50 ₹47.31
104.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.65 Ft 534
$0.43 ₹40.81
283.72%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 Ft 221
$0.28 ₹26.39
142.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.81 Ft 2,526
$5.01 ₹473
55.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.02 Ft 1,946
$6.48 ₹613
-7.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 Ft 418
$1.59 ₹150
-18.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 Ft 655
$2.05 ₹194
-1.46%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$6.97 ₹658
-
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Patna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 Ft 484
$0.31 ₹28.93
383.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.13 Ft 8,769
$4.80 ₹454
465.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.36 Ft 1,085
$1.29 ₹122
160.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 Ft 444
$0.17 ₹16.44
705.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.96 Ft 6,451
$2.07 ₹196
864.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 Ft 603
$1.16 ₹109
60.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.5K Ft 9.2M
$11.1K ₹1.1M
156.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.4K Ft 10.8M
$27.9K ₹2.6M
19.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Patna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 Ft 57.6K
$45.51 ₹4,299
291.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.58 Ft 7,623
$3.00 ₹283
686.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.12 Ft 7,797
$6.41 ₹605
276.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Patna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$69.7 Ft 22.5K
$22.33 ₹2,110
212.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.03 Ft 5,505
$12.10 ₹1,143
40.74%
Cinema Ticket
$10.48 Ft 3,388
$3.47 ₹328
202.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Patna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$625 Ft 202.1K
$55.8 ₹5,272
1020.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.6K Ft 6.4M
$1,676 ₹158.3K
1072.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Patna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 Ft 33.0K
$23.74 ₹2,243
329.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.41 Ft 14.0K
$29.06 ₹2,745
49.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 Ft 35.5K
$38.45 ₹3,632
185.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 Ft 39.0K
$33.83 ₹3,196
256.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Patna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$845 Ft 273.3K
$81.7 ₹7,713
935.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$638 Ft 206.4K
$55.6 ₹5,256
1047.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,609 Ft 520.1K
$282 ₹26.7K
469.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,217 Ft 393.5K
$187 ₹17.7K
549.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,555 Ft 1.8M
$1,201 ₹113.5K
362.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,898 Ft 1.3M
$557 ₹52.6K
599.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Patna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,724 Ft 557.5K
$309 ₹29.2K
458.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.34
9.46
-32.98%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Patna: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$638
Patna
$56 91.3% $583
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$260
Patna
$97 62.5% $162
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$226
Patna
$55 75.7% $171
Eating Out
Budapest
$220
Patna
$70 68% $149
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$169
Patna
$56 66.7% $113
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$91
Patna
$29 67.7% $61
Getting Around
Budapest
$43
Patna
$8.2 81.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $82 in Patna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Budapest are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $9 in Patna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $97 – making Patna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇮🇳 Patna
🕒 Local time
01:13 1:13 AM
05:43 5:43 AM
4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
500,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Patna 6,180 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Patna

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 Patna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Patna cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 343%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $558 in Patna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Patna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $82 there versus $845 in Budapest.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 82% less in Patna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Budapest and $56 in Patna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Patna?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Patna, where all-in costs run around $372, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Patna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Patna more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Patna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Patna. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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