Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Rethymno

For one person, living is cheaper in Rethymno: $1,345 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Rethymno
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Rethymno Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Rethymno

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,345

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Rethymno

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,345 in Rethymno, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Rethymno $1,345

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,021 in Rethymno, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Rethymno $2,021

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,697 in Rethymno, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Rethymno $2,697

Budapest costs about 20% more than Rethymno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Budapest and Rethymno sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Rethymno by 0%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$12.58 €11.19

10.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$55.6 €49.49

10.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$9.88 €8.79

3.14%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.56 €3.17

-8.43%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.65 €1.47

29.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.53 €0.47

235.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$4.43 €3.94

-16.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$5.42 €4.82

-30.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.52 €1.35

-24.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.26 €1.12

42.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.17 €1.93

14.75%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$4.55 €4.04

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$14.65 €13.03

-24.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$9.32 €8.29

-28.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$15.06 €13.40

-2.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.04 €1.81

-10.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.02 €1.79

1.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.22 €1.08

94.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.76 €1.57

121.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.97 €0.86

2.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.95 €0.84

5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.64 €0.57

146.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.72 €0.64

-6.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.36 €3.88

82.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.58 €5.85

-5.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.77 €1.57

-28.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.89 €1.68

7.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.83 €1.63

-16.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.40 €3.91

-24.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.09 €0.97

25.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$11.32 €10.07

75.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.25 €2.00

-19.11%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$22.4K €19.9K

33.15%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.4K €21.7K

38.49%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$193 €171

-11.14%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$17.94 €15.96

31.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$30.38 €27.02

-23.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$60.2 €53.6

12.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$8.50 €7.56

9.41%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$364 €324

46.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$3,938 €3,503

325.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$89.6 €79.7

11.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$11.17 €9.94

289.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$44.93 €39.96

145.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$43.80 €38.96

171.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$549 €489

51.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$441 €392

41.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$908 €808

75.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$712 €633

64.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,079 €3,628

42.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,948 €2,622

31.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,222 €1,087

35.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.3

50.00%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Rethymno: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Rethymno

$441 32.8% 29.1% $181

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Rethymno

$268 20% 4% $10

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Rethymno

$215 16% 3.7% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Rethymno

$241 17.9% 10.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Rethymno

$85 6.3% 49.1% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Rethymno

$77 5.7% 10.4% $8.9

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Rethymno

$17 * 1.3% 61.2% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $549 in Rethymno. 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 35% 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 $56.0 in Rethymno. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $268 in Rethymno – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇷 Rethymno

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

19:01 7:01 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

35,763

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Budapest Rethymno 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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Rethymno

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 Rethymno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,017 in Rethymno. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $56.0 in Rethymno. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Rethymno, where all-in costs run around $1,345, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Rethymno it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rethymno – 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 Rethymno. 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.