Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Roman

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $840 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Roman
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Roman Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Roman

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $840 in Roman, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Roman $840

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,393 in Roman, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Roman $1,393

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,946 in Roman, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Roman $1,946

Budapest costs about 93% more than Roman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Roman is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$10.42 RON 49.30

33.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$33.99 RON 161

80.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.31 RON 34.59

39.40%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.43 RON 11.49

34.16%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.38 RON 6.54

55.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.06 RON 5.03

67.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.05 RON 9.69

80.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.17 RON 10.29

73.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.19 RON 5.61

-3.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.66 RON 3.10

171.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.43 RON 6.75

74.13%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.89 RON 13.65

34.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.55 RON 35.72

47.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.72 RON 27.05

15.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.63 RON 40.85

70.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.07 RON 5.05

71.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.51 RON 7.15

35.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.42 RON 6.71

66.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.75 RON 8.30

122.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.72 RON 3.39

37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.88 RON 4.16

13.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.88 RON 4.17

79.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.72 RON 3.41

-6.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.62 RON 26.58

41.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.34 RON 25.25

16.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.97 RON 4.59

30.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.19 RON 5.61

70.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.76 RON 3.62

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$21.67 RON 103

29.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.66 RON 3.13

401.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.64 RON 3.04

114.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$7.04 RON 33.30

181.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.74 RON 8.22

4.60%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$28.1K RON 133.1K

5.92%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$25.1K RON 118.6K

34.87%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$146 RON 691

17.21%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$6.96 RON 32.93

237.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$7.80 RON 36.88

198.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$37.11 RON 176

81.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$20.05 RON 94.9

-5.79%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.42 RON 30.40

44.86%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$295 RON 1,397

80.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,901 RON 23.2K

241.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$96.3 RON 456

3.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$25.51 RON 121

70.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$61.4 RON 290

79.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$58.0 RON 274

105.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$213 RON 1,008

289.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$157 RON 745

295.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$605 RON 2,863

163.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$454 RON 2,146

158.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,862 RON 8,812

213.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,356 RON 6,413

186.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$820 RON 3,880

101.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

7.2

-10.42%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Roman: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Roman

$157 18.7% 74.7% $465

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Roman

$176 20.9% 31.9% $82

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Roman

$159 18.9% 28.8% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Roman

$161 19.1% 26.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Roman

$109 12.9% 35.2% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Roman

$50 6% 42% $36

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Roman

$29 3.4% 35.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $213 in Roman. 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 101% 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 $34.00 in Roman. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $176 – making Roman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Roman

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

11:28 11:28 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

80,328

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Roman 600 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 Roman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,259 in Roman. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 29% less in Roman. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $295 in Roman. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Roman, where all-in costs run around $840, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Roman it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Roman – 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 Roman. 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.