Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Sliven

For one person, living is cheaper in Sliven: $774 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Sliven
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Sliven Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Sliven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Sliven

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $774 in Sliven, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Sliven $774

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,228 in Sliven, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Sliven $1,228

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,681 in Sliven, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Sliven $1,681

Budapest costs about 109% more than Sliven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Sliven is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$11.63 BGN 20.24

19.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$33.58 BGN 58.4

82.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$10.13 BGN 17.63

0.59%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.85 BGN 3.23

76.22%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.23 BGN 2.15

73.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.93 BGN 1.63

91.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.73 BGN 3.01

114.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.25 BGN 3.91

67.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.52 BGN 2.64

-24.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.81 BGN 1.41

120.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.66 BGN 4.64

-6.39%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.11 BGN 3.67

84.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.97 BGN 13.86

39.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.54 BGN 9.64

19.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$6.72 BGN 11.69

118.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.45 BGN 2.53

26.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.60 BGN 2.78

28.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.39 BGN 2.42

70.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.18 BGN 3.79

78.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.50 BGN 0.88

98.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.83 BGN 1.44

20.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.06 BGN 1.84

49.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.50 BGN 0.86

34.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.55 BGN 6.18

124.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.08 BGN 10.58

2.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.05 BGN 1.82

20.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.22 BGN 2.13

66.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.66 BGN 1.14

130.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$35.36 BGN 61.5

-20.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.11 BGN 1.93

198.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.58 BGN 1.00

136.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$8.31 BGN 14.46

138.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.53 BGN 2.66

18.95%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$30.5K BGN 53.0K

-2.24%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$21.9K BGN 38.1K

54.56%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$84.8 BGN 148

101.70%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$20.02 BGN 34.83

17.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$9.07 BGN 15.79

156.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$23.19 BGN 40.35

191.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.62 BGN 9.79

65.48%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$500 BGN 869

6.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,332 BGN 11.0K

164.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$56.2 BGN 97.8

77.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$22.74 BGN 39.57

91.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$67.2 BGN 117

64.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$62.1 BGN 108

91.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$230 BGN 401

260.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$142 BGN 248

337.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$328 BGN 570

386.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$259 BGN 451

351.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,121 BGN 1,951

420.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$918 BGN 1,596

323.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,335 BGN 2,323

23.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.85

126.32%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sliven: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Sliven

$142 18.4% 77.1% $480

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Sliven

$181 23.3% 30% $77

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Sliven

$168 21.6% 24.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Sliven

$114 14.7% 47.7% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Sliven

$94 12.1% 44.1% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Sliven

$34 4.5% 60% $52

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Sliven

$42 5.4% 5.1% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $230 in Sliven. 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 24% 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 Sliven. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $181 – making Sliven the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇬 Sliven

🕒 Local time

23:00 11:00 PM

00:00 12:00 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

95,806

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR 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).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Sliven 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Sliven

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 Sliven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 109%, 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 $1,162 in Sliven. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 26% less in Sliven. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $500 in Sliven. 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 Sliven, where all-in costs run around $774, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Sliven it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sliven – 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 Sliven. 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.