Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Van

For one person, living is cheaper in Van: $956 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Van
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Van Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Van

🇹🇷 Turkey

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Van

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $956 in Van, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Van $956

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $1,536 in Van, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Van $1,536

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $2,116 in Van, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Van $2,116

Budapest costs about 71% more than Van, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Van is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,548

$7.48 ₺373

84.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

$34.59 ₺1,723

77.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,345

$7.93 ₺395

28.12%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,061

$3.57 ₺178

-9.80%

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

$2.06 Ft 679

$1.14 ₺56.6

80.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 604

$0.42 ₺21.17

335.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,187

$3.33 ₺166

8.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,207

$3.10 ₺154

18.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$0.96 ₺47.67

23.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 616

$1.00 ₺49.80

87.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 779

$2.25 ₺112

5.33%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,304

$1.48 ₺73.9

167.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,677

$8.99 ₺448

24.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,226

$4.07 ₺203

66.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,727

$22.62 ₺1,127

-36.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 595

$1.82 ₺90.9

-0.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$1.83 ₺91.1

15.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 769

$1.09 ₺54.3

113.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,253

$1.15 ₺57.4

230.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$0.52 ₺25.73

90.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$0.35 ₺17.44

180.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 511

$0.74 ₺36.87

109.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 229

$0.61 ₺30.53

14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,567

$2.16 ₺108

260.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,993

$10.36 ₺516

-41.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$2.01 ₺99.9

-36.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 671

$2.79 ₺139

-26.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$0.73 ₺36.59

112.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,987

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,086

$1.30 ₺64.6

153.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$0.76 ₺37.85

72.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,673

$7.21 ₺359

181.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 599

$1.28 ₺64.0

42.19%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$42.2K ₺2.1M

-32.00%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$38.9K ₺1.9M

-14.98%

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

$172 Ft 56.7K

$79.9 ₺3,981

115.49%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,890

$10.46 ₺521

128.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,679

$13.39 ₺667

74.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$57.0 ₺2,841

20.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,229

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,353

$6.49 ₺324

56.86%

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

$600 Ft 197.8K

$624 ₺31.1K

-3.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$11.4K ₺566.1K

47.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$45.86 ₺2,285

115.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

$33.35 ₺1,661

29.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$79.7 ₺3,969

41.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$88.8 ₺4,425

31.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.4K

$469 ₺23.4K

78.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.7K

$278 ₺13.9K

129.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

$816 ₺40.6K

95.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

$586 ₺29.2K

105.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$1,491 ₺74.3K

277.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$968 ₺48.2K

292.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

41.33

-84.39%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Van: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Van

$278 29.1% 56.5% $361

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Van

$229 23.9% 11.4% $30

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Van

$156 16.3% 29.5% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Van

$104 10.9% 52.7% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Van

$111 11.7% 33.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Van

$70 7.3% 21.3% $19

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Van

$8 * 0.8% 81.5% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $469 in Van. 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 in Budapest versus $35 in Van. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $229 – making Van the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇷 Van

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

15:55 3:55 PM

2 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,141,015

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Van 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Van

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 Van: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $1,434 in Van. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Van, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $469 there versus $836 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $35 in Van. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

It depends on your priorities. Budapest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $956 in Van to $1,638 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.