Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Varanasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $293 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 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
14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
Learn more

Varanasi Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$293

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Varanasi

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $293 in Varanasi, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Varanasi $293

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $483 in Varanasi, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Varanasi $483

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $672 in Varanasi, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Varanasi $672

Budapest costs about 462% more than Varanasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Varanasi is 78% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$1.89 ₹178

621.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

$8.02 ₹758

656.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,239

$3.21 ₹304

212.15%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,075

$1.65 ₹156

101.82%

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

$2.12 Ft 684

$0.41 ₹38.66

417.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 581

$0.11 ₹10.08

1536.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,166

$1.62 ₹153

122.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,160

$2.12 ₹201

69.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 361

$0.66 ₹62.5

69.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 623

$0.29 ₹27.18

565.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.54 ₹50.6

361.11%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,275

$0.83 ₹78.4

374.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,646

$3.28 ₹309

243.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,177

$2.13 ₹201

215.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,670

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 601

$1.43 ₹135

30.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$0.65 ₹61.2

213.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 740

$0.89 ₹84.3

157.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,290

$0.35 ₹32.65

1040.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 304

$0.26 ₹24.63

261.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 330

$0.24 ₹22.67

325.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 534

$0.46 ₹43.19

258.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.28 ₹26.52

142.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,526

$3.20 ₹302

144.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,946

$5.83 ₹551

3.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 418

$1.61 ₹152

-19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 655

$1.98 ₹187

2.02%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.24 ₹401

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 484

$0.55 ₹52.3

172.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

$9.71 ₹918

179.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,085

$0.24 ₹22.66

1300.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.12 ₹10.95

1041.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,451

$1.04 ₹98.6

1819.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.05 ₹99.7

77.14%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$11.3K ₹1.1M

153.04%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$22.2K ₹2.1M

50.30%

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

$178 Ft 57.6K

$12.68 ₹1,198

1305.13%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,623

$3.63 ₹343

549.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,797

$6.84 ₹647

252.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

$12.72 ₹1,201

447.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,505

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,388

$2.91 ₹274

260.14%

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

$625 Ft 202.1K

$38.77 ₹3,663

1512.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$1,088 ₹102.8K

1705.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.0K

$23.62 ₹2,232

331.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

$25.11 ₹2,372

72.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.5K

$38.81 ₹3,666

183.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.0K

$25.32 ₹2,392

376.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 273.3K

$114 ₹10.8K

641.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.4K

$46.99 ₹4,439

1258.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

$200 ₹18.8K

706.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

$140 ₹13.2K

769.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$560 ₹52.9K

892.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$340 ₹32.1K

1046.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 557.5K

$575 ₹54.3K

200.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

8.53

-25.67%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Varanasi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Varanasi

$47 16% 92.6% $591

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Varanasi

$82 28% 68.5% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Varanasi

$23 7.9% 89.7% $203

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Varanasi

$59 20.1% 73.2% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Varanasi

$51 17.3% 70% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Varanasi

$19 6.3% 79.6% $72

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Varanasi

$13 4.4% 70.6% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $114 in Varanasi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Budapest are about 3 times higher, 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 in Budapest versus $8 in Varanasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $82 – making Varanasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🕒 Local time

02:00 2:00 AM

06:30 6:30 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

3,100,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Varanasi 6,040 km ≈ 8 h 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 Varanasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 462%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $440 in Varanasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varanasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $114 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Varanasi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Budapest and $39 in Varanasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Varanasi, where all-in costs run around $293, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Varanasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Varanasi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Varanasi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.