Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Visaginas

For one person, living is cheaper in Visaginas: $1,199 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Visaginas
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Visaginas Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Visaginas

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,199

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Visaginas

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $1,199 in Visaginas, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Visaginas $1,199

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $1,937 in Visaginas, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Visaginas $1,937

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $2,675 in Visaginas, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Visaginas $2,675

Budapest costs about 37% more than Visaginas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Visaginas is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,552

$12.02 €10.80

14.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

$67.2 €60.4

-8.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,349

$9.90 €8.89

2.63%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,062

$3.58 €3.22

-10.06%

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

$2.06 Ft 680

$3.39 €3.04

-39.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 605

$3.13 €2.81

-41.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,188

$5.15 €4.63

-30.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,208

$4.51 €4.05

-18.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.60 €1.44

-25.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 617

$1.81 €1.62

3.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 780

$2.24 €2.01

5.80%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,305

$3.35 €3.01

18.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,680

$14.94 €13.42

-25.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,228

$8.36 €7.51

-19.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,731

$13.81 €12.40

3.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 596

$1.53 €1.38

18.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$1.56 €1.41

35.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 770

$2.21 €1.98

5.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,254

$3.20 €2.88

18.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$0.95 €0.86

4.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$0.89 €0.80

10.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 512

$1.83 €1.64

-15.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 230

$0.94 €0.84

-25.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,569

$5.58 €5.01

39.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,995

$9.96 €8.95

-39.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$1.75 €1.57

-26.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 672

$2.19 €1.97

-6.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$1.10 €0.99

40.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

$33.04 €29.68

-17.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$1.14 €1.03

189.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$0.87 €0.78

50.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,679

$15.91 €14.29

27.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 600

$1.97 €1.77

-7.61%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$27.6K €24.8K

3.97%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$27.9K €25.0K

18.76%

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

$172 Ft 56.8K

$199 €179

-13.49%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,897

$15.91 €14.29

50.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,685

$13.39 €12.03

74.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$42.38 €38.07

61.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

$22.50 €20.21

-15.96%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,356

$9.01 €8.10

12.99%

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

$600 Ft 197.9K

$667 €599

-9.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$8,920 €8,013

88.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$86.1 €77.4

14.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

$40.00 €35.93

8.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$119 €107

-5.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$165 €149

-29.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

$193 €173

333.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

$170 €152

277.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

$390 €350

310.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

$351 €315

243.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$993 €892

466.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$781 €702

386.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

$1,531 €1,375

9.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

61.25%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Visaginas: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Visaginas

$170 14.2% 73.5% $470

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Visaginas

$283 23.6% 9.4% $24

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Visaginas

$230 19.2% 4.1% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Visaginas

$228 19.1% 4.1% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Visaginas

$185 15.4% 10.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Visaginas

$60 5% 32.1% $29

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Visaginas

$43 3.6% 1% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $193 in Visaginas. 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 9% 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 $61 in Budapest versus $67 in Visaginas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $283 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇹 Visaginas

🕒 Local time

17:36 5:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

22,361

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Visaginas 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Visaginas

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 Visaginas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $1,798 in Visaginas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Visaginas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $193 there versus $836 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $600 per month in Budapest and $667 in Visaginas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,638 in Budapest and $1,199 in Visaginas, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Budapest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,199 in Visaginas to $1,638 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Visaginas. 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.