Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Sibu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $866 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Sibu

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $866 in Sibu, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Sibu $866

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,293 in Sibu, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Sibu $1,293

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,720 in Sibu, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Sibu $1,720

Budapest costs about 90% more than Sibu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Sibu is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$2.16 MYR 8.82

550.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$19.47 MYR 79.4

212.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$4.21 MYR 17.18

146.32%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.38 MYR 9.70

45.38%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.67 MYR 2.74

208.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.23 MYR 0.93

669.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$2.92 MYR 11.92

26.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$4.40 MYR 17.96

-13.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.80 MYR 7.33

-35.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.89 MYR 3.65

107.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.67 MYR 6.80

43.71%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$2.24 MYR 9.16

78.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$11.65 MYR 47.53

-2.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$3.84 MYR 15.66

78.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$9.69 MYR 39.55

49.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$3.72 MYR 15.16

-49.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.53 MYR 6.26

39.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$2.34 MYR 9.55

-1.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$1.38 MYR 5.62

192.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$1.12 MYR 4.58

-8.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.30 MYR 5.29

-23.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.17 MYR 4.76

35.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.54 MYR 2.22

29.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$4.53 MYR 18.48

77.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$18.28 MYR 74.6

-66.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$2.85 MYR 11.64

-56.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$4.51 MYR 18.38

-54.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.83 MYR 3.40

91.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$13.85 MYR 56.5

98.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$1.40 MYR 5.70

145.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.54 MYR 2.18

146.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$8.01 MYR 32.68

155.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.80 MYR 3.28

141.25%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$49.1K MYR 200.3K

-40.66%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$35.6K MYR 145.4K

-2.57%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$49.59 MYR 202

252.07%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$7.14 MYR 29.14

230.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$26.47 MYR 108

-10.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$26.94 MYR 110

155.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$6.44 MYR 26.26

199.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$3.74 MYR 15.24

175.67%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$181 MYR 739

195.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,906 MYR 28.2K

143.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$55.4 MYR 226

80.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$30.48 MYR 124

41.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$89.2 MYR 364

25.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$75.2 MYR 307

58.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$340 MYR 1,386

144.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$282 MYR 1,150

123.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$597 MYR 2,437

165.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$451 MYR 1,841

165.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$1,782 MYR 7,272

220.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$966 MYR 3,941

308.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$496 MYR 2,021

245.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.06

58.87%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sibu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Sibu

$282 32.6% 55.2% $347

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Sibu

$247 28.5% 5.7% $15

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Sibu

$85 9.9% 62.2% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Sibu

$83 9.6% 62.5% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Sibu

$113 13% 33% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Sibu

$34 4% 61.5% $55

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Sibu

$21 2.5% 51.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $340 in Sibu. 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 245% 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 $19.00 in Sibu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $247 – making Sibu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇾 Sibu

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

23:12 11:12 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

198,239

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, 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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Sibu 10,030 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Sibu

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 Sibu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,299 in Sibu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 99% less in Sibu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $181 in Sibu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sibu, where all-in costs run around $866, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Sibu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sibu – 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 Sibu. 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.