Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Turda

For one person, living is cheaper in Turda: $1,079 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Turda
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Turda Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Turda

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Turda

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,079 in Turda, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Turda $1,079

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,617 in Turda, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Turda $1,617

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,155 in Turda, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Turda $2,155

Budapest costs about 50% more than Turda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$12.82 RON 60.7

8.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$32.32 RON 153

89.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$8.62 RON 40.80

18.21%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.74 RON 12.98

18.98%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.81 RON 8.57

18.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.34 RON 6.35

32.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.12 RON 10.05

75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.07 RON 9.78

82.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.53 RON 7.23

-24.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.46 RON 6.89

22.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.54 RON 7.28

61.69%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.80 RON 13.23

39.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$6.26 RON 29.60

77.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.48 RON 30.64

2.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.48 RON 54.3

27.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.11 RON 5.24

64.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.49 RON 7.03

37.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.32 RON 6.23

79.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.44 RON 11.56

59.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.99 RON 4.69

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.98 RON 4.63

2.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.97 RON 4.60

62.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.01 RON 4.76

-33.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.14 RON 24.32

54.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.54 RON 35.66

-17.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.22 RON 5.79

4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.69 RON 7.98

20.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.24 RON 5.85

22.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$21.12 RON 99.9

32.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.81 RON 3.83

308.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.81 RON 3.81

69.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$5.82 RON 27.52

240.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.74 RON 8.25

4.60%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$28.8K RON 136.4K

3.38%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$25.5K RON 120.5K

32.71%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$158 RON 746

8.51%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.04 RON 42.78

160.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$9.91 RON 46.91

135.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$37.90 RON 179

78.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$18.85 RON 89.2

0.21%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$9.42 RON 44.56

-1.27%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$587 RON 2,778

-9.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,227 RON 29.5K

169.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$42.24 RON 200

135.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$42.48 RON 201

2.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$98.0 RON 464

12.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$107 RON 508

10.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$382 RON 1,807

117.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$285 RON 1,349

118.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$604 RON 2,858

163.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$449 RON 2,122

160.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,822 RON 8,619

220.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,269 RON 6,003

206.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$748 RON 3,539

120.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.8

-5.15%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Turda: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Turda

$285 26.4% 54.1% $337

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Turda

$210 19.5% 18.5% $48

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Turda

$189 17.5% 15.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Turda

$177 16.4% 18.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Turda

$131 12.1% 22.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Turda

$57 5.3% 34.1% $29

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Turda

$31 2.9% 30.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $382 in Turda. 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 121% 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 $32.00 in Turda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $210 – making Turda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Turda

🕒 Local time

00:37 12:37 AM

01:37 1:37 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

47,744

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 →

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Turda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 50%, 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 $1,618 in Turda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 33% less in Turda. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $587 in Turda. 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 Turda, where all-in costs run around $1,079, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Turda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Turda – 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 Turda. 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.