Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Pleven

For one person, living is cheaper in Pleven: $889 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Pleven
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Pleven Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Pleven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Pleven

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $889 in Pleven, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Pleven $889

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,420 in Pleven, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Pleven $1,420

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,950 in Pleven, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Pleven $1,950

Budapest costs about 82% more than Pleven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Pleven is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,523

$8.76 BGN 15.33

59.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$30.08 BGN 52.7

103.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,306

$6.07 BGN 10.62

67.87%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,059

$2.16 BGN 3.79

50.93%

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

$2.14 Ft 694

$1.30 BGN 2.28

64.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$1.17 BGN 2.04

52.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$2.10 BGN 3.67

76.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$2.34 BGN 4.10

61.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.63 BGN 2.85

-29.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$1.12 BGN 1.96

59.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 807

$1.68 BGN 2.93

48.21%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$3.43 BGN 6.01

13.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,604

$9.21 BGN 16.12

20.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$7.93 BGN 13.87

-16.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,767

$14.04 BGN 24.56

4.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$1.23 BGN 2.15

48.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$2.03 BGN 3.55

0.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$2.11 BGN 3.69

12.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$2.27 BGN 3.97

71.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$1.18 BGN 2.07

-16.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$1.07 BGN 1.88

-6.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$1.06 BGN 1.85

49.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.70 BGN 1.22

-4.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,584

$3.58 BGN 6.27

122.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,018

$6.42 BGN 11.23

-3.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$0.84 BGN 1.47

51.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

$1.13 BGN 1.98

79.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$0.92 BGN 1.61

65.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,095

$40.41 BGN 70.7

-30.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$1.55 BGN 2.72

113.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.86 BGN 1.50

59.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,436

$12.14 BGN 21.24

63.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.60 BGN 2.79

13.75%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$29.5K BGN 51.6K

1.15%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$25.4K BGN 44.5K

32.89%

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

$171 Ft 55.5K

$98.1 BGN 172

74.38%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,631

$15.91 BGN 27.85

47.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,560

$10.44 BGN 18.28

123.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$35.31 BGN 61.8

91.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,133

$24.28 BGN 42.48

-22.20%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,018

$8.65 BGN 15.14

7.51%

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

$533 Ft 173.1K

$505 BGN 884

5.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,150 BGN 10.8K

172.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$40.76 BGN 71.3

144.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$28.23 BGN 49.40

54.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$92.8 BGN 162

18.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$102 BGN 178

17.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$341 BGN 597

143.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

$171 BGN 300

262.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.2K

$563 BGN 986

182.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.9K

$330 BGN 577

254.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,450 BGN 2,538

302.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,112 BGN 1,946

249.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.9K

$932 BGN 1,631

77.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.85

126.32%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pleven: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Pleven

$171 19.3% 72.5% $451

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Pleven

$233 26.2% 9.7% $25

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Pleven

$139 15.7% 37.5% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Pleven

$124 14% 42.9% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Pleven

$118 13.3% 29.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Pleven

$53 5.9% 38.9% $34

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Pleven

$50 5.6% 12.9% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $341 in Pleven. 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 77% 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 $30.00 in Pleven. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $233 – making Pleven the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇬 Pleven

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

00:01 12:01 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

111,567

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Pleven 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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 Pleven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 82%, 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 $1,334 in Pleven. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 44% less in Pleven. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $505 in Pleven. 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 Pleven, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Pleven it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pleven – 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 Pleven. 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.