Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Svishtov

For one person, living is cheaper in Svishtov: $922 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Svishtov
Learn more

Svishtov Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Svishtov

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Svishtov

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $922 in Svishtov, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Svishtov $922

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,446 in Svishtov, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Svishtov $1,446

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,970 in Svishtov, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Svishtov $1,970

Budapest costs about 78% more than Svishtov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Svishtov is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$13.56 BGN 23.60

3.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$44.77 BGN 77.9

36.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$8.61 BGN 14.99

20.44%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.30 BGN 4.01

50.43%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.99 BGN 1.73

109.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.59 BGN 1.02

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.69 BGN 2.95

118.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$2.83 BGN 4.93

34.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.46 BGN 2.54

-20.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.83 BGN 1.45

122.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.74 BGN 3.04

37.93%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$2.77 BGN 4.83

44.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$9.76 BGN 16.98

16.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$5.06 BGN 8.80

35.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$8.45 BGN 14.70

71.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.46 BGN 2.55

28.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.05 BGN 1.83

103.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.06 BGN 1.85

116.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.30 BGN 4.01

75.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.71 BGN 1.23

43.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.48 BGN 0.83

106.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.55 BGN 0.96

187.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.56 BGN 0.97

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$3.58 BGN 6.24

124.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$6.95 BGN 12.10

-11.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.03 BGN 1.80

20.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.16 BGN 2.02

77.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.90 BGN 1.57

76.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$23.96 BGN 41.70

14.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$1.41 BGN 2.46

143.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.65 BGN 1.13

104.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$12.06 BGN 20.98

69.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.43 BGN 2.49

34.97%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

-2.28%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$22.8K BGN 39.6K

52.59%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$102 BGN 178

70.68%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$14.19 BGN 24.68

66.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$8.42 BGN 14.65

180.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$30.14 BGN 52.5

128.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$17.08 BGN 29.72

12.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$8.68 BGN 15.10

18.78%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$230 BGN 401

132.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,778 BGN 10.1K

191.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$50.9 BGN 88.6

96.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$25.21 BGN 43.87

71.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$71.8 BGN 125

55.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$68.5 BGN 119

73.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$336 BGN 585

147.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$254 BGN 443

147.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$537 BGN 934

195.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$408 BGN 710

193.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$1,320 BGN 2,298

333.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,076 BGN 1,872

266.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$1,264 BGN 2,199

35.50%

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 Svishtov: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Svishtov

$254 27.6% 59.6% $375

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Svishtov

$184 19.9% 29.8% $78

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Svishtov

$182 19.8% 19.4% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Svishtov

$125 13.5% 43.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Svishtov

$97 10.6% 42.1% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Svishtov

$48 5.2% 46.9% $42

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Svishtov

$32 3.5% 26.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $336 in Svishtov. 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 35% 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 Svishtov. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $184 – making Svishtov the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇬 Svishtov

🕒 Local time

22:44 10:44 PM

23:44 11:44 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

33,000

💱 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 →

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Budapest Svishtov 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Svishtov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,384 in Svishtov. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 15% less in Svishtov. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $230 in Svishtov. 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 Svishtov, where all-in costs run around $922, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Svishtov it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Svishtov – 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 Svishtov. 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.