Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Varna

For one person, living is cheaper in Varna: $1,411 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Varna
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Varna Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,411

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Varna

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,411 in Varna, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Varna $1,411

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,231 in Varna, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Varna $2,231

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,050 in Varna, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Varna $3,050

Budapest costs about 15% more than Varna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Budapest and Varna sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Varna by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$12.63 BGN 22.11

10.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$60.3 BGN 106

0.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$10.49 BGN 18.36

-5.05%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$2.93 BGN 5.12

15.36%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$1.95 BGN 3.42

9.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$1.60 BGN 2.79

16.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$2.90 BGN 5.07

29.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$3.55 BGN 6.21

0.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.98 BGN 3.46

-42.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$1.24 BGN 2.18

48.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.67 BGN 4.68

-10.49%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$3.46 BGN 6.06

10.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$11.47 BGN 20.08

-1.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$9.37 BGN 16.40

-28.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$13.95 BGN 24.41

5.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$1.93 BGN 3.39

-4.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$2.09 BGN 3.66

-3.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.14 BGN 3.75

10.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$2.87 BGN 5.03

31.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$1.26 BGN 2.21

-23.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$1.04 BGN 1.81

-0.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.05 BGN 1.85

48.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.78 BGN 1.36

-15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$3.92 BGN 6.86

103.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$8.58 BGN 15.01

-29.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.21 BGN 2.12

7.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$1.90 BGN 3.32

9.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.93 BGN 1.63

61.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$29.12 BGN 51.0

-5.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$1.54 BGN 2.70

114.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.85 BGN 1.49

52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$12.18 BGN 21.32

62.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.75 BGN 3.06

3.43%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$29.6K BGN 51.8K

-0.97%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$25.9K BGN 45.2K

31.93%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$173 BGN 302

-1.68%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$21.09 BGN 36.91

13.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$16.09 BGN 28.17

45.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$51.4 BGN 89.9

28.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$19.87 BGN 34.78

-3.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$8.75 BGN 15.31

8.80%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$508 BGN 890

5.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$6,188 BGN 10.8K

168.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$65.1 BGN 114

55.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$33.76 BGN 59.1

27.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$98.3 BGN 172

14.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$101 BGN 177

17.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$636 BGN 1,112

26.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$471 BGN 825

33.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$1,348 BGN 2,358

14.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$918 BGN 1,606

27.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$3,051 BGN 5,339

84.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$2,166 BGN 3,791

83.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$1,263 BGN 2,211

28.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

2.85

125.61%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Varna: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Varna

$471 33.7% 25.1% $158

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Varna

$271 19.4% 5.4% $14

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Varna

$203 14.6% 9.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Varna

$210 15% 3.4% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Varna

$134 9.6% 20.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Varna

$69 4.9% 19.2% $16

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Varna

$39 2.8% 11% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $636 in Varna. 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 29% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $60.0 in Varna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $271 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇬 Varna

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

08:07 8:07 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

348,058

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Varna 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Varna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,117 in Varna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 5% less in Varna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $508 in Varna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Varna, where all-in costs run around $1,411, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Varna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Varna – 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 Varna. 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.