Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Thessaloniki

For one person, living costs are similar in Budapest and in Thessaloniki: $1,621 and $1,643 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Thessaloniki

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,643 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Thessaloniki $1,643

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,545 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Thessaloniki $2,545

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,446 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Thessaloniki $3,446

Budapest is about 1% cheaper than Thessaloniki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Thessaloniki sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Thessaloniki by 23%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$16.85 €15.02

-16.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$66.5 €59.3

-9.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$11.00 €9.81

-9.45%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$4.30 €3.83

-21.40%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$3.01 €2.68

-29.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.75 €0.67

149.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$5.76 €5.14

-34.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$6.86 €6.12

-47.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.76 €1.57

-35.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$1.70 €1.51

8.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$3.55 €3.17

-32.68%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$5.46 €4.87

-29.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$13.95 €12.44

-18.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$11.13 €9.92

-39.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$18.27 €16.29

-19.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$2.49 €2.22

-26.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$2.22 €1.98

-9.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.11 €1.88

11.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$2.81 €2.50

34.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$1.30 €1.15

-26.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$1.24 €1.11

-16.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.53 €1.37

1.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.91 €0.81

-27.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$5.64 €5.03

41.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$10.00 €8.92

-39.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$2.08 €1.86

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$3.22 €2.87

-35.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.65 €0.58

130.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$17.84 €15.91

54.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$4.29 €3.83

-23.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.10 €0.98

18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$16.55 €14.76

19.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$2.33 €2.08

-22.32%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$27.8K €24.8K

5.33%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$30.6K €27.3K

11.30%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$217 €193

-21.61%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$23.23 €20.71

3.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$30.69 €27.37

-23.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$51.7 €46.09

28.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$16.72 €14.91

14.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$10.50 €9.36

-9.33%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$468 €418

14.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$9,132 €8,142

81.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$96.4 €85.9

5.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$44.70 €39.86

-3.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$123 €110

-8.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$133 €119

-10.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$627 €559

28.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$487 €434

29.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$1,109 €989

39.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$850 €757

37.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$3,774 €3,365

48.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$2,867 €2,556

38.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$1,166 €1,040

39.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

5.34

20.41%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Thessaloniki

$487 29.5% 22.7% $143

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Thessaloniki

$331 20.1% 28.6% $74

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Thessaloniki

$277 16.8% 23.5% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Thessaloniki

$271 16.4% 24.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Thessaloniki

$179 10.9% 5.8% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4% 14.8% $13

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8% 30.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $627 in Thessaloniki. 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 39% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $66.0 in Thessaloniki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $331 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🕒 Local time

04:52 4:52 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

790,824

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Thessaloniki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Thessaloniki is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,465 in Thessaloniki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 55% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $468 in Thessaloniki. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Thessaloniki at $1,643. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thessaloniki it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Thessaloniki makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.