Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ungheni

For one person, living is cheaper in Ungheni: $652 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Ungheni
Learn more

Ungheni Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Ungheni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$652

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ungheni

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $652 in Ungheni, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Ungheni $652

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,019 in Ungheni, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Ungheni $1,019

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,385 in Ungheni, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Ungheni $1,385

Budapest costs about 148% more than Ungheni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Ungheni is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$7.49 MDL 133

86.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$22.20 MDL 394

175.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.57 MDL 117

55.10%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.42 MDL 25.24

129.58%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.70 MDL 12.36

205.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.44 MDL 7.79

304.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.99 MDL 17.59

274.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.42 MDL 25.24

165.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.71 MDL 30.30

-32.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.35 MDL 6.27

411.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.87 MDL 15.51

186.21%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.89 MDL 33.57

106.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.15 MDL 180

9.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.99 MDL 70.9

65.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.17 MDL 145

79.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$0.44 MDL 7.78

315.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.25 MDL 22.13

64.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.08 MDL 19.25

119.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.14 MDL 20.18

242.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.47 MDL 8.36

110.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.35 MDL 6.23

185.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$2.21 MDL 39.33

-28.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.77 MDL 13.61

-12.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.37 MDL 59.8

136.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.12 MDL 73.2

50.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.43 MDL 25.46

-11.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.63 MDL 28.97

24.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.36 MDL 6.34

322.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.64 MDL 29.17

101.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.38 MDL 6.72

260.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$3.71 MDL 66.0

434.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.36 MDL 24.13

33.82%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$20.2K MDL 358.3K

67.61%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$136 MDL 2,422

25.50%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$11.08 MDL 197

112.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$15.88 MDL 282

46.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$14.19 MDL 252

375.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$3.88 MDL 69.0

139.69%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$47.80 MDL 849

108.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$16.72 MDL 297

160.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$34.18 MDL 607

222.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$68.3 MDL 1,213

74.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$251 MDL 4,449

231.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$113 MDL 2,003

451.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$333 MDL 5,909

379.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$277 MDL 4,914

323.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,280 MDL 40.5K

155.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,706 MDL 30.3K

128.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$552 MDL 9,805

199.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-19.37%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ungheni: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Ungheni

$113 17.3% 81.9% $509

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Ungheni

$165 25.3% 36% $93

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Ungheni

$109 16.7% 51.1% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Ungheni

$163 25% 25.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Ungheni

$75 11.5% 55.2% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Ungheni

$22 3.4% 74.5% $64

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ungheni

$5 * 0.8% 88.8% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $251 in Ungheni. 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 199% 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 $22.00 in Ungheni. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $165 – making Ungheni the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇩 Ungheni

🕒 Local time

01:13 1:13 AM

02:13 2:13 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

38,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, 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).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Ungheni 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Ungheni

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 Ungheni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 148%, 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 $978 in Ungheni. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 56% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $22.00 in Ungheni. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ungheni, where all-in costs run around $652, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ungheni it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ungheni – 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 Ungheni. 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.