Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Santorini

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,113 in Santorini, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Santorini
Learn more

Santorini Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Santorini

🇬🇷 Greece

$2,113

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Santorini

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $2,113 in Santorini, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Santorini $2,113

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $3,080 in Santorini, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Santorini $3,080

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $4,046 in Santorini, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Santorini $4,046

Budapest is about 23% cheaper than Santorini, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Santorini sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Santorini by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$26.66 €23.72

-47.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$87.6 €77.9

-30.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$15.56 €13.84

-34.51%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.64 €4.13

-29.74%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$3.71 €3.30

-42.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.33 €1.18

33.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$5.63 €5.01

-34.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$7.20 €6.41

-47.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.99 €1.77

-42.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.41 €1.26

26.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$3.38 €3.00

-26.33%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$6.54 €5.82

-40.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$14.26 €12.68

-22.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.71 €6.86

-14.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$18.06 €16.07

-18.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.76 €2.46

-33.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.22 €1.97

-7.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.62 €1.44

46.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.39 €3.01

15.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.55 €2.27

-61.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$3.40 €3.02

-70.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.01 €0.90

56.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.60 €0.53

11.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.53 €5.81

21.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.68 €5.05

9.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.95 €1.73

-34.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.72 €2.42

-25.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.72 €2.42

-44.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$29.26 €26.03

-4.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.20 €1.95

50.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.07 €1.84

-33.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$14.23 €12.66

39.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.27 €2.02

-19.82%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$44.6K €39.7K

-33.26%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$45.7K €40.6K

-25.95%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$305 €271

-43.88%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$43.85 €39.00

-46.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$33.93 €30.18

-31.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$78.9 €70.2

-14.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$25.20 €22.41

-25.04%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.59 €5.86

41.12%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$601 €535

-11.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$67.3 €59.9

47.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$50.1 €44.54

-13.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$75.1 €66.8

46.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$113 €100

5.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$1,587 €1,411

-47.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$758 €674

-17.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,299 €1,155

22.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,034 €920

13.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$5,070 €4,510

15.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$3,313 €2,947

17.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,181 €1,050

39.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.15

55.42%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Santorini: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Santorini

$758 35.9% 21.9% $136

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Santorini

$312 14.8% 21% $54

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Santorini

$378 17.9% 69.7% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Santorini

$383 18.1% 75.6% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Santorini

$137 6.5% 18.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Santorini

$92 4.4% 6.9% $5.9

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Santorini

$53 2.5% 19.1% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $1,587 in Santorini. 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 40% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $88.0 in Santorini. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $312 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇷 Santorini

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

22:02 10:02 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,233

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Santorini 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Santorini

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 Santorini: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santorini is pricier by about 31%, 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 $3,170 in Santorini. 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 4% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $601 in Santorini. 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 Santorini at $2,113. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santorini 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, Santorini makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.