Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Varkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $383 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
Learn more

Varkala Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Varkala

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $383 in Varkala, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Varkala $383

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $608 in Varkala, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Varkala $608

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $833 in Varkala, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Varkala $833

Budapest costs about 331% more than Varkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Varkala is 72% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$2.28 ₹216

497.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

$10.35 ₹978

485.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,239

$3.45 ₹326

190.43%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,075

$1.57 ₹149

112.10%

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

$2.12 Ft 684

$0.37 ₹35.20

472.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 581

$0.18 ₹16.55

900.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,166

$1.76 ₹166

105.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,160

$3.13 ₹295

14.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 361

$0.71 ₹67.4

57.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 623

$0.45 ₹42.46

328.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.66 ₹62.2

277.27%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,275

$0.89 ₹84.2

342.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,646

$4.87 ₹460

131.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,177

$2.99 ₹282

125.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,670

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 601

$2.05 ₹194

-9.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$0.74 ₹70.1

175.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 740

$0.98 ₹92.6

133.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,290

$0.54 ₹50.8

638.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 304

$0.38 ₹35.97

147.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 330

$0.43 ₹40.23

137.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 534

$0.45 ₹42.20

266.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.32 ₹30.08

112.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,526

$3.89 ₹367

100.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,946

$7.48 ₹706

-19.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 418

$1.69 ₹160

-23.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 655

$2.76 ₹261

-26.81%

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

$5.59 ₹528

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 484

$0.28 ₹26.35

435.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

$8.77 ₹829

209.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,085

$0.83 ₹78.4

304.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.25 ₹23.36

448.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,451

$1.43 ₹135

1295.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.16 ₹110

60.34%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$13.8K ₹1.3M

106.63%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$22.2K ₹2.1M

50.06%

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

$178 Ft 57.6K

$38.26 ₹3,614

365.68%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,623

$3.52 ₹332

569.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,797

$7.13 ₹673

238.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

$15.61 ₹1,475

346.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,505

$7.10 ₹671

139.86%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,388

$2.85 ₹269

267.72%

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

$625 Ft 202.1K

$51.9 ₹4,905

1103.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$1,542 ₹145.7K

1173.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.0K

$24.46 ₹2,311

317.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

$24.88 ₹2,351

74.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.5K

$41.84 ₹3,953

162.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.0K

$30.94 ₹2,923

289.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 273.3K

$123 ₹11.6K

586.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.4K

$75.4 ₹7,127

746.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

$274 ₹25.8K

487.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

$179 ₹16.9K

580.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$1,051 ₹99.3K

428.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$599 ₹56.6K

550.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 557.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

8.67

-26.87%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Varkala: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Varkala

$75 19.7% 88.2% $563

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Varkala

$105 27.5% 59.5% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Varkala

$49 12.8% 78.4% $177

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Varkala

$65 16.9% 70.6% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Varkala

$55 14.4% 67.5% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Varkala

$21 5.6% 76.5% $69

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Varkala

$12 3.1% 72.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $123 in Varkala. 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 $10 in Varkala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $105 – making Varkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇳 Varkala

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

09:11 9:11 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

50,000

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Varkala 6,900 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Varkala

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 Varkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 331%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $574 in Varkala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varkala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $123 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 68% less in Varkala. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Budapest and $52 in Varkala. 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 Varkala, where all-in costs run around $383, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Varkala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Varkala is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 77% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.