Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Sintra

For one person, living costs are similar in Budapest and in Sintra: $1,619 and $1,592 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Sintra
Learn more

Sintra Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Sintra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Sintra

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,592 in Sintra, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Sintra $1,592

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,317 in Sintra, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Sintra $2,317

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,041 in Sintra, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Sintra $3,041

Budapest costs about 2% more than Sintra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Sintra sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Sintra by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$13.05 €11.61

6.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$55.4 €49.24

10.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$8.84 €7.87

15.27%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.28 €1.14

154.69%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.54 €1.37

38.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.21 €1.07

47.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.25 €2.89

14.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.74 €2.44

37.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.06 €0.95

8.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.26 €1.12

42.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.32 €1.17

88.64%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.60 €2.31

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.14 €8.13

21.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.91 €6.15

-4.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.07 €9.85

32.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.83 €1.62

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.22 €1.09

68.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.34 €1.19

76.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.24 €2.00

74.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.25 €1.11

-20.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.63 €1.45

-38.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.59 €1.42

-0.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.63 €0.56

6.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.25 €5.56

27.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$3.28 €2.92

89.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.28 €1.14

-0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.40 €1.24

45.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.19 €1.94

-30.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$41.73 €37.11

-32.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.66 €3.26

-9.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.50 €0.44

174.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$16.24 €14.45

22.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.07 €1.84

-12.08%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$34.2K €30.4K

-12.78%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$38.2K €33.9K

-11.39%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$129 €115

32.84%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$21.92 €19.50

7.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$45.30 €40.30

-48.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$41.17 €36.62

64.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$15.52 €13.81

21.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$8.89 €7.91

4.61%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$604 €538

-11.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,207 €5,522

169.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$74.5 €66.3

33.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$45.04 €40.07

-3.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$108 €96.1

2.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$49.27 €43.82

141.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$977 €869

-15.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$774 €688

-19.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,551 €1,379

2.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,173 €1,043

-0.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,033 €2,698

92.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,236 €1,989

73.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,347 €1,198

22.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.54

82.20%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sintra: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Sintra

$774 48.6% 24.4% $152

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Sintra

$204 12.8% 21% $54

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Sintra

$179 11.2% 19.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Sintra

$196 12.3% 10% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Sintra

$125 7.8% 25.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Sintra

$59 3.7% 31.5% $27

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Sintra

$57 3.6% 28% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $977 in Sintra. 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 23% 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 $55.0 in Sintra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $204 – making Sintra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇹 Sintra

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

12:32 12:32 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

385,654

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Sintra 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Sintra

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 Sintra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 2%, 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 $2,389 in Sintra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 49% less in Sintra. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $604 in Sintra. 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 Sintra, where all-in costs run around $1,592, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Sintra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sintra – 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 Sintra. 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.