Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Syros

For one person, living is cheaper in Syros: $1,536 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Syros
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Syros Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Syros

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,536

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Syros

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,536 in Syros, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Syros $1,536

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,307 in Syros, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Syros $2,307

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,078 in Syros, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Syros $3,078

Budapest costs about 5% more than Syros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Budapest and Syros sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Syros by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$12.95 €11.52

7.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$55.2 €49.11

10.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$9.90 €8.81

2.93%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.37 €3.00

-3.26%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.35 €2.09

-8.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.68 €0.61

161.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$5.43 €4.83

-31.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$5.25 €4.67

-28.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.78 €1.58

-35.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.44 €1.28

24.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.59 €2.30

-3.86%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$4.33 €3.86

-9.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$15.73 €13.99

-29.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$10.57 €9.40

-37.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.91 €13.27

-1.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.16 €1.92

-15.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.15 €1.91

-4.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.40 €1.25

69.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.77 €1.58

120.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.21 €1.08

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.17 €1.04

-14.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.95 €0.84

66.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.72 €0.64

-6.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.95 €4.40

60.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.61 €6.77

-18.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.32 €2.07

-45.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.83 €2.52

-28.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.31 €1.17

16.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$51.2 €45.51

-45.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.53 €4.03

-26.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.10 €0.98

24.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$5.42 €4.82

265.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.25 €2.01

-19.11%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$27.5K €24.5K

8.30%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.6K €21.8K

37.71%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$197 €175

-12.92%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$25.57 €22.74

-8.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$27.91 €24.82

-16.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$53.8 €47.84

25.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$25.02 €22.26

-24.50%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$9.14 €8.13

1.75%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$391 €348

36.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$3,990 €3,549

319.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$89.6 €79.7

11.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$27.36 €24.33

58.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$83.9 €74.7

31.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$83.9 €74.7

41.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$572 €509

45.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$502 €446

23.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,000 €889

59.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$804 €715

45.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,658 €1,475

251.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,537 €1,367

152.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$943 €839

75.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.44

45.27%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Syros: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Syros

$502 32.7% 19.3% $120

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Syros

$294 19.1% 13.8% $36

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Syros

$224 14.6% 0.3% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Syros

$250 16.3% 14.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Syros

$128 8.4% 23.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Syros

$72 4.7% 16.3% $14

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Syros

$66 4.3% 50.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $572 in Syros. 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 75% 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 Syros. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $294 in Syros – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇷 Syros

🕒 Local time

01:18 1:18 AM

02:18 2:18 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,138

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Syros 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Syros

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 Syros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,304 in Syros. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 83% less in Syros. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $391 in Syros. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Syros, where all-in costs run around $1,536, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Syros it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Syros – 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 Syros. 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.