Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Vilkaviskis

For one person, living is cheaper in Vilkaviskis: $1,415 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Vilkaviskis
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Vilkaviskis Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Vilkaviskis

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Vilkaviskis

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $1,415 in Vilkaviskis, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Vilkaviskis $1,415

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $2,097 in Vilkaviskis, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Vilkaviskis $2,097

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $2,780 in Vilkaviskis, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Vilkaviskis $2,780

Budapest costs about 16% more than Vilkaviskis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Vilkaviskis sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Vilkaviskis by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,552

$12.49 €11.22

10.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

$50.4 €45.23

22.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,349

$6.68 €6.00

52.10%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,062

$3.09 €2.78

4.21%

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

$2.06 Ft 680

$2.65 €2.38

-22.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 605

$1.89 €1.70

-3.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,188

$5.50 €4.94

-34.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,208

$5.12 €4.60

-28.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.22 €1.09

-2.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 617

$1.44 €1.29

29.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 780

$1.77 €1.59

33.90%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,305

$2.97 €2.67

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,680

$10.16 €9.13

9.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,228

$5.72 €5.14

18.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,731

$9.86 €8.85

45.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 596

$1.73 €1.55

4.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$1.37 €1.23

54.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 770

$1.72 €1.55

35.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,254

$2.93 €2.64

29.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$0.73 €0.66

35.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$0.97 €0.88

1.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 512

$1.53 €1.37

1.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 230

$0.84 €0.76

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,569

$5.79 €5.20

34.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,995

$8.16 €7.33

-25.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$1.60 €1.44

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 672

$1.66 €1.49

22.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$1.02 €0.92

51.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

$34.27 €30.79

-20.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$3.08 €2.77

7.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$0.87 €0.79

50.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,679

$13.55 €12.17

49.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 600

$1.87 €1.68

-2.67%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$27.2K €24.5K

5.44%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$27.2K €24.4K

21.71%

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

$172 Ft 56.8K

$202 €181

-14.60%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,897

$13.23 €11.88

81.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,685

$11.38 €10.22

104.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$38.56 €34.64

77.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

$24.78 €22.26

-23.69%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,356

$8.98 €8.07

13.36%

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

$600 Ft 197.9K

$514 €462

16.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$9,105 €8,179

84.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$132 €118

-24.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

$63.8 €57.3

-32.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$80.0 €71.9

41.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$178 €160

-34.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

$498 €448

67.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

$448 €403

42.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

$740 €665

115.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

$672 €604

79.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$3,129 €2,811

79.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$1,899 €1,706

100.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

$1,116 €1,002

49.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.97

62.47%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Vilkaviskis: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Vilkaviskis

$448 31.7% 29.9% $192

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Vilkaviskis

$221 15.6% 14.6% $38

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Vilkaviskis

$213 15.1% 3.4% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Vilkaviskis

$226 16% 3.1% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Vilkaviskis

$204 14.4% 21.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Vilkaviskis

$57 4% 36.5% $32

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Vilkaviskis

$46 3.2% 5.7% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $498 in Vilkaviskis. 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 50% higher in Budapest. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $50 in Vilkaviskis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $221 – making Vilkaviskis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇹 Vilkaviskis

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

18:40 6:40 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

11,547

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Vilkaviskis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $2,122 in Vilkaviskis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vilkaviskis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $498 there versus $836 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $600 per month in Budapest and $514 in Vilkaviskis. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,638 in Budapest and $1,415 in Vilkaviskis. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Vilkaviskis – 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 Vilkaviskis. 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.