Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Trikala

For one person, living is cheaper in Trikala: $1,349 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Trikala
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Trikala Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Trikala

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Trikala

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,349 in Trikala, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Trikala $1,349

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,067 in Trikala, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Trikala $2,067

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,785 in Trikala, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Trikala $2,785

Budapest costs about 20% more than Trikala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Trikala sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Trikala by 0%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,492

$16.53 €14.68

-15.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.7K

$56.0 €49.74

9.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,284

$11.20 €9.94

-9.02%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,052

$3.95 €3.50

-17.47%

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

$2.14 Ft 689

$2.76 €2.45

-22.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 575

$0.55 €0.49

223.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,195

$5.67 €5.03

-34.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,215

$4.39 €3.90

-14.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 370

$1.89 €1.68

-39.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 576

$1.30 €1.16

37.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 802

$1.90 €1.69

31.05%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,258

$4.56 €4.05

-14.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,579

$13.39 €11.89

-17.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,134

$8.83 €7.84

-25.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,734

$10.60 €9.42

38.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 590

$1.37 €1.22

33.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 660

$2.00 €1.77

2.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 764

$1.41 €1.25

68.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,257

$2.04 €1.81

91.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.04 €0.92

-4.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 321

$1.10 €0.98

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.13 €1.01

39.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 215

$0.87 €0.77

-22.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,566

$5.34 €4.74

49.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,004

$5.56 €4.94

11.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 410

$2.07 €1.84

-38.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 653

$2.36 €2.10

-13.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 489

$1.78 €1.58

-14.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,032

$44.43 €39.46

-36.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,067

$4.37 €3.88

-24.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 441

$1.02 €0.91

34.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,391

$16.96 €15.06

16.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 587

$2.11 €1.87

-13.74%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$27.6K €24.5K

7.81%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$27.7K €24.6K

22.12%

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

$171 Ft 55.2K

$121 €108

41.05%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,579

$26.73 €23.74

-12.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,508

$30.10 €26.73

-22.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$56.1 €49.85

20.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,090

$14.31 €12.71

32.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 2,997

$10.10 €8.97

-7.92%

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

$533 Ft 171.9K

$219 €194

143.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,420 €3,925

279.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.1K

$82.1 €72.9

21.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$40.27 €35.76

8.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$89.2 €79.2

23.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.3K

$122 €109

-2.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 267.7K

$449 €399

84.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.5K

$364 €324

70.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 513.7K

$695 €617

129.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 377.2K

$545 €484

114.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,296 €2,039

153.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,936 €1,719

100.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 532.2K

$1,102 €979

49.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.48

43.97%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Trikala: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Trikala

$364 27% 41.4% $258

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Trikala

$255 18.9% 1.1% $2.9

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Trikala

$264 19.5% 18.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Trikala

$178 13.2% 18.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Trikala

$150 11.1% 10.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Trikala

$76 5.7% 11.4% $9.8

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Trikala

$61 4.5% 38% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $449 in Trikala. 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 50% 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 $56.0 in Trikala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $255 – making Trikala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇷 Trikala

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

17:22 5:22 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

61,653

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Trikala 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 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 Trikala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,023 in Trikala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 59% less in Trikala. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $219 in Trikala. 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 Trikala, where all-in costs run around $1,349, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Trikala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Trikala – 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 Trikala. 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.