Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Side

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,153 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Side
Learn more

Side Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Side

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,153 in Side, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Side $1,153

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,793 in Side, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Side $1,793

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,432 in Side, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Side $2,432

Budapest costs about 42% more than Side, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Side is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$10.25 ₺507

36.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$30.35 ₺1,502

100.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$9.86 ₺488

5.17%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$3.63 ₺179

-4.68%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$2.20 ₺109

-5.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.39 ₺19.35

353.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$4.10 ₺203

-10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$5.92 ₺293

-35.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.05 ₺52.2

10.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.96 ₺47.29

92.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$2.62 ₺130

-8.40%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$2.22 ₺110

79.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$13.36 ₺661

-14.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$6.05 ₺299

13.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$26.37 ₺1,305

-45.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.54 ₺76.1

22.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$2.39 ₺118

-10.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.44 ₺71.4

59.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$1.23 ₺60.8

228.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.78 ₺38.78

30.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.75 ₺36.99

32.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.81 ₺89.7

-12.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.76 ₺37.73

-7.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$2.80 ₺138

186.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$13.96 ₺691

-55.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.76 ₺87.1

-29.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$3.13 ₺155

-34.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.63 ₺31.41

152.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$1.23 ₺61.0

178.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$1.03 ₺51.1

29.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$6.88 ₺341

197.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.53 ₺75.9

26.14%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-30.59%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$38.0K ₺1.9M

-8.57%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$76.1 ₺3,765

129.57%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$10.50 ₺520

124.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$23.39 ₺1,158

0.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$57.1 ₺2,826

20.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$7.93 ₺393

30.01%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$499 ₺24.7K

7.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$9,527 ₺471.7K

76.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$44.49 ₺2,203

124.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$59.1 ₺2,926

-26.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$154 ₺7,612

-27.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$121 ₺5,967

-1.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$478 ₺23.6K

74.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$308 ₺15.2K

104.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$763 ₺37.8K

107.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$562 ₺27.8K

112.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$1,548 ₺76.7K

269.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$913 ₺45.2K

332.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

38.25

-83.14%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Side: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Side

$308 26.7% 51.1% $322

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Side

$286 24.8% 9.3% $24

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Side

$198 17.2% 12.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Side

$110 9.5% 50.4% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Side

$170 14.7% 1.1% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Side

$73 6.3% 18.5% $17

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Side

$8.9 * 0.8% 79.7% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $478 in Side. 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 $30.00 in Side. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Budapest vs $286 in Side – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇷 Side

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

00:17 12:17 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

12,500

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Budapest Side 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Side

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 Side: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,730 in Side. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Side, 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 $30.00 in Side. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% 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 Side, where all-in costs run around $1,153, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Side it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Side – 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 Side. 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.