Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Varkaus

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $1,900 in Varkaus, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. The total is higher in Varkaus despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Varkaus
Learn more

Varkaus Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Varkaus

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,900

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Varkaus

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,900 in Varkaus, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Varkaus $1,900

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $3,063 in Varkaus, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Varkaus $3,063

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $4,225 in Varkaus, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Varkaus $4,225

Budapest is about 15% cheaper than Varkaus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Varkaus sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Varkaus by 41%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$15.90 €14.14

-12.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$102 €90.9

-40.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$11.83 €10.52

-13.86%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$5.28 €4.70

-38.26%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$3.46 €3.08

-38.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$2.72 €2.42

-34.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$8.74 €7.77

-57.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$9.66 €8.60

-60.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.43 €1.27

-19.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$2.92 €2.60

-38.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$3.51 €3.13

-29.06%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.77 €3.35

3.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.96 €9.75

1.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$16.14 €14.36

-58.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$22.36 €19.89

-34.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.77 €2.46

-33.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.06 €1.83

-0.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$3.31 €2.94

-28.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$4.34 €3.86

-10.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.27 €1.13

-22.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.72 €1.53

-41.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$2.03 €1.80

-22.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.94 €1.72

-65.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$12.24 €10.88

-34.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$13.47 €11.98

-53.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$3.95 €3.51

-67.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$4.93 €4.38

-58.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.87 €2.55

-47.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$55.1 €49.04

-49.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$9.50 €8.45

-65.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.83 €1.63

-25.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$51.1 €45.47

-61.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.24 €2.00

-18.75%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$36.1K €32.1K

-17.46%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$37.9K €33.7K

-10.84%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$109 €96.7

57.45%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$28.10 €24.99

-16.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$25.26 €22.47

-7.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$43.53 €38.72

55.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$21.91 €19.49

-13.78%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$17.63 €15.68

-47.25%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$323 €287

65.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$12.7K €11.3K

31.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$123 €109

-18.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$57.1 €50.8

-23.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$95.7 €85.1

15.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$179 €160

-33.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$662 €589

25.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$646 €575

-3.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,338 €1,190

19.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,161 €1,033

0.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,875 €3,447

50.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,331 €2,074

66.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.51

83.76%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Varkaus: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Varkaus

$646 34% 3.9% $24

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Varkaus

$410 21.6% 58.8% $152

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Varkaus

$314 16.5% 40.7% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Varkaus

$162 8.5% 25.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Varkaus

$205 10.8% 22.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Varkaus

$79 4.2% 8.5% $7.3

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Varkaus

$85 4.5% 92.8% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $662 in Varkaus. 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $102 in Varkaus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $410 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇫🇮 Varkaus

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

12:53 12:53 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

20,257

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Varkaus 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Varkaus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Varkaus is pricier by about 17%, 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 $2,850 in Varkaus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 97% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $323 in Varkaus. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Varkaus at $1,900. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Varkaus it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Varkaus makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.