Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Sunny Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunny Beach: $1,038 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Sunny Beach
Learn more

Sunny Beach Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Sunny Beach

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Sunny Beach

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,038 in Sunny Beach, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Sunny Beach $1,038

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,578 in Sunny Beach, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Sunny Beach $1,578

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,117 in Sunny Beach, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Sunny Beach $2,117

Budapest costs about 56% more than Sunny Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Sunny Beach is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,523

$8.39 BGN 14.68

66.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$44.87 BGN 78.5

36.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,306

$9.63 BGN 16.85

5.82%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,059

$2.86 BGN 5.01

13.99%

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

$2.14 Ft 694

$1.74 BGN 3.04

22.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$1.56 BGN 2.73

14.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$2.31 BGN 4.05

60.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$1.73 BGN 3.03

117.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.76 BGN 3.08

-34.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$0.75 BGN 1.31

138.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 807

$2.18 BGN 3.81

14.22%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$3.69 BGN 6.46

5.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,604

$8.40 BGN 14.70

32.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$8.56 BGN 14.99

-22.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,767

$14.28 BGN 24.99

2.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$1.70 BGN 2.97

7.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.77 BGN 3.09

15.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$1.91 BGN 3.34

24.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$2.63 BGN 4.60

48.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$1.07 BGN 1.88

-7.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$1.05 BGN 1.84

-4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$1.16 BGN 2.03

36.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.71 BGN 1.24

-5.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,584

$4.10 BGN 7.17

94.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,018

$6.27 BGN 10.98

-0.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$1.13 BGN 1.97

12.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

$2.06 BGN 3.60

-1.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$1.13 BGN 1.98

34.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,095

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$1.27 BGN 2.22

160.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.65 BGN 1.13

110.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,436

$10.32 BGN 18.06

92.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.58 BGN 2.76

15.19%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$29.6K BGN 51.8K

0.76%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$24.4K BGN 42.7K

38.48%

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

$171 Ft 55.5K

$114 BGN 200

49.80%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,631

$18.46 BGN 32.31

27.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,560

$15.66 BGN 27.41

48.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,133

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,018

$8.90 BGN 15.57

4.49%

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

$533 Ft 173.1K

$519 BGN 907

2.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,550 BGN 9,713

201.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$33.86 BGN 59.3

194.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$41.32 BGN 72.3

5.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$95.8 BGN 168

15.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$103 BGN 181

15.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$565 BGN 989

46.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

$341 BGN 597

82.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.2K

$679 BGN 1,188

134.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.9K

$513 BGN 898

128.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,328 BGN 2,323

339.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,135 BGN 1,987

242.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.9K

$920 BGN 1,611

79.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.1

108.06%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sunny Beach: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Sunny Beach

$341 32.9% 45.2% $281

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Sunny Beach

$240 23.1% 6.9% $18

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Sunny Beach

$159 15.3% 28.9% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Sunny Beach

$148 14.3% 31.9% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Sunny Beach

$123 11.9% 26.3% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Sunny Beach

$18 * 1.7% 79.3% $68

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Sunny Beach

$9 * 0.9% 79.6% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $565 in Sunny Beach. 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 79% 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 $45.00 in Sunny Beach. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $240 – making Sunny Beach the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇬 Sunny Beach

🕒 Local time

22:39 10:39 PM

23:39 11:39 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

13,347

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Sunny Beach 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Sunny Beach

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 Sunny Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,557 in Sunny Beach. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sunny Beach, 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 $45.00 in Sunny Beach. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sunny Beach, where all-in costs run around $1,038, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Sunny Beach it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sunny Beach – 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 Sunny Beach. 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.