Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Protaras

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $1,713 in Protaras, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Protaras
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Protaras Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Protaras

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Protaras

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,713 in Protaras, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Protaras $1,713

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,800 in Protaras, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Protaras $2,800

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,887 in Protaras, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Protaras $3,887

Budapest is about 5% cheaper than Protaras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Budapest and Protaras sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Protaras by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,521

$16.58 €14.79

-15.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$56.7 €50.6

7.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,304

$9.11 €8.13

11.86%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,059

$3.56 €3.17

-8.43%

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

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.82 €1.63

17.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$1.18 €1.06

50.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,203

$4.20 €3.75

-11.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,222

$4.02 €3.59

-6.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.98 €1.76

-41.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$1.41 €1.26

26.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 807

$2.33 €2.08

6.87%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$5.01 €4.47

-22.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,602

$13.58 €12.11

-18.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,147

$9.12 €8.13

-27.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,764

$12.33 €11.00

19.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$3.26 €2.91

-43.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.84 €1.64

11.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$2.03 €1.81

16.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,265

$3.56 €3.18

9.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$1.40 €1.25

-29.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$1.14 €1.01

-12.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$0.58 €0.52

172.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$1.04 €0.92

-35.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,582

$5.66 €5.05

40.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,017

$6.73 €6.01

-7.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$1.74 €1.55

-27.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

$1.96 €1.75

3.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$2.09 €1.86

-27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,089

$57.1 €50.9

-50.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,074

$11.13 €9.93

-70.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$2.07 €1.84

-33.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,432

$22.18 €19.79

-10.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.79 €1.59

1.68%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$33.0K €29.5K

-9.77%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$33.2K €29.6K

1.83%

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

$171 Ft 55.5K

$188 €168

-9.17%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,627

$23.54 €21.00

-0.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,556

$34.97 €31.19

-33.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$58.6 €52.2

15.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,129

$21.04 €18.77

-10.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,016

$10.95 €9.77

-15.07%

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

$533 Ft 173.0K

$430 €384

23.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,680 €5,958

150.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$81.8 €73.0

21.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$45.11 €40.24

-3.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$93.7 €83.6

17.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$87.9 €78.4

35.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.4K

$678 €605

22.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.7K

$629 €561

-1.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 516.9K

$1,623 €1,448

-1.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.6K

$1,490 €1,329

-21.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,149 €2,809

85.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,512 €2,241

54.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.31

94.86%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Protaras: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Protaras

$629 36.7% 1.1% $6.8

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Protaras

$287 16.8% 11.3% $29

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Protaras

$244 14.2% 9.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Protaras

$247 14.4% 13.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Protaras

$139 8.1% 17.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Protaras

$80 4.7% 6.6% $5.7

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Protaras

$87 5.1% 96.5% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $678 in Protaras. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $57.0 in Protaras. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $287 in Protaras – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇾 Protaras

🕒 Local time

16:08 4:08 PM

17:08 5:08 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

20,230

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Protaras 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Protaras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Protaras is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,569 in Protaras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 104% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $430 in Protaras. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Protaras at $1,713. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Protaras it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Protaras makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.