Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Smolyan

For one person, living is cheaper in Smolyan: $724 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Smolyan
Learn more

Smolyan Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Smolyan

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Smolyan

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $724 in Smolyan, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Smolyan $724

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,158 in Smolyan, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Smolyan $1,158

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,591 in Smolyan, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Smolyan $1,591

Budapest costs about 127% more than Smolyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Smolyan is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$6.43 BGN 11.19

118.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$37.31 BGN 64.9

63.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$5.72 BGN 9.95

81.29%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$1.29 BGN 2.25

168.22%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.98 BGN 1.71

111.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.69 BGN 1.20

156.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.74 BGN 3.04

112.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$2.11 BGN 3.67

80.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.69 BGN 2.93

-31.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.95 BGN 1.66

94.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.70 BGN 2.96

41.18%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$3.26 BGN 5.67

22.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$10.12 BGN 17.60

12.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$5.73 BGN 9.96

19.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$8.47 BGN 14.73

71.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.16 BGN 2.02

62.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.68 BGN 2.93

27.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.17 BGN 2.04

96.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.33 BGN 4.05

73.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$1.15 BGN 2.01

-11.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.42 BGN 2.47

-30.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.92 BGN 1.60

71.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.54 BGN 0.94

29.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$3.44 BGN 5.98

133.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$5.56 BGN 9.68

11.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$0.55 BGN 0.96

125.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.70 BGN 2.95

21.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.95 BGN 1.65

67.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$32.88 BGN 57.2

-16.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$1.29 BGN 2.25

165.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.59 BGN 1.02

125.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$12.04 BGN 20.95

69.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.55 BGN 2.69

24.52%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$23.0K BGN 40.1K

26.57%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$22.7K BGN 39.5K

53.15%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$103 BGN 179

69.32%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$14.48 BGN 25.20

63.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$9.12 BGN 15.86

158.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$21.89 BGN 38.10

214.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$16.77 BGN 29.18

14.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$7.54 BGN 13.12

36.74%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$232 BGN 403

130.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,911 BGN 10.3K

184.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$28.35 BGN 49.33

252.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$21.15 BGN 36.79

104.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$59.2 BGN 103

88.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$63.1 BGN 110

88.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$201 BGN 349

314.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$141 BGN 246

344.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$290 BGN 504

447.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$244 BGN 424

391.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$1,342 BGN 2,335

326.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,059 BGN 1,843

272.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$670 BGN 1,165

155.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.25

98.46%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Smolyan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Smolyan

$141 19.5% 77.5% $488

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Smolyan

$197 27.2% 24.9% $65

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Smolyan

$104 14.3% 54.2% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Smolyan

$127 17.5% 42.9% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Smolyan

$77 10.7% 54.1% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Smolyan

$37 5.1% 58.7% $53

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Smolyan

$41 5.7% 7% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $201 in Smolyan. 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 156% 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 $37.00 in Smolyan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $197 – making Smolyan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇬 Smolyan

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

18:12 6:12 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

30,507

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Smolyan 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Smolyan

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 Smolyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 127%, 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 $1,085 in Smolyan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 19% less in Smolyan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $232 in Smolyan. 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 Smolyan, where all-in costs run around $724, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Smolyan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Smolyan – 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 Smolyan. 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.