Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Targu Frumos

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Frumos: $998 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Targu Frumos
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Targu Frumos Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Targu Frumos

🇷🇴 Romania

$998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Targu Frumos

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $998 in Targu Frumos, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Targu Frumos $998

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,521 in Targu Frumos, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Targu Frumos $1,521

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,043 in Targu Frumos, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Targu Frumos $2,043

Budapest costs about 62% more than Targu Frumos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Targu Frumos is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$10.68 RON 50.5

30.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$42.45 RON 201

44.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.21 RON 34.12

41.33%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.42 RON 11.46

34.71%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.08 RON 9.86

2.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.87 RON 8.87

-4.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.05 RON 9.68

80.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.18 RON 15.06

18.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.17 RON 5.56

-1.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.70 RON 3.32

155.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.79 RON 8.48

39.11%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.41 RON 16.11

14.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.51 RON 35.53

47.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.94 RON 28.09

11.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.59 RON 40.65

71.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.28 RON 6.07

42.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.59 RON 7.52

28.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.50 RON 7.11

58.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.76 RON 8.35

121.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.95 RON 4.49

4.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.00 RON 4.75

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.80 RON 3.78

97.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.73 RON 3.47

-8.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.60 RON 26.49

42.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.29 RON 25.05

17.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.00 RON 4.73

27.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.19 RON 5.61

70.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.77 RON 3.67

97.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$21.57 RON 102

29.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.66 RON 3.10

401.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.64 RON 3.02

114.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$7.09 RON 33.52

179.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.81 RON 8.55

0.55%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$28.6K RON 135.2K

4.25%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.6K RON 116.5K

37.28%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$146 RON 693

16.84%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$7.75 RON 36.67

203.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$7.69 RON 36.37

202.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$38.18 RON 181

76.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$20.15 RON 95.3

-6.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.23 RON 29.48

49.28%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$603 RON 2,852

-11.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,996 RON 23.6K

235.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$95.3 RON 451

4.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$32.26 RON 153

34.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$61.0 RON 289

80.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$84.3 RON 399

41.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$379 RON 1,795

118.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$283 RON 1,337

120.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$602 RON 2,848

164.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$438 RON 2,073

167.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,837 RON 8,691

217.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,368 RON 6,472

184.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

7.2

-10.42%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Targu Frumos: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Targu Frumos

$283 28.3% 54.6% $339

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Targu Frumos

$183 18.4% 29% $75

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Targu Frumos

$169 16.9% 24.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Targu Frumos

$162 16.2% 25.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Targu Frumos

$123 12.3% 26.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Targu Frumos

$51 5.1% 41.2% $35

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Targu Frumos

$29 2.9% 35.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $379 in Targu Frumos. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $42.00 in Targu Frumos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $183 – making Targu Frumos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Targu Frumos

🕒 Local time

11:13 11:13 AM

12:13 12:13 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

13,875

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, 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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Budapest Targu Frumos 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Budapest
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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 Targu Frumos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 62%, 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 $1,497 in Targu Frumos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 30% less in Targu Frumos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $603 in Targu Frumos. 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 Targu Frumos, where all-in costs run around $998, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Targu Frumos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Targu Frumos – 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 Targu Frumos. 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.