Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Vratsa

For one person, living is cheaper in Vratsa: $821 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Vratsa
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Vratsa Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Vratsa

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Vratsa

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $821 in Vratsa, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Vratsa $821

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,244 in Vratsa, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Vratsa $1,244

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,667 in Vratsa, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Vratsa $1,667

Budapest costs about 97% more than Vratsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Vratsa is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,523

$8.42 BGN 14.73

65.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$28.50 BGN 49.88

114.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,306

$5.55 BGN 9.72

83.60%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,059

$2.29 BGN 4.01

42.36%

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

$2.14 Ft 694

$1.55 BGN 2.70

38.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$0.82 BGN 1.44

117.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$1.74 BGN 3.05

113.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$1.98 BGN 3.47

90.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.31 BGN 2.30

-12.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$0.81 BGN 1.43

120.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 807

$1.28 BGN 2.25

94.53%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$2.32 BGN 4.06

68.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,604

$8.93 BGN 15.63

24.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$5.71 BGN 10.00

15.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,767

$8.27 BGN 14.47

77.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$1.25 BGN 2.19

46.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.70 BGN 2.98

20.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$1.11 BGN 1.94

113.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$1.68 BGN 2.94

132.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$0.99 BGN 1.73

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$0.73 BGN 1.27

36.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$0.55 BGN 0.96

187.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.60 BGN 1.05

11.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,584

$3.49 BGN 6.11

128.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,018

$5.03 BGN 8.81

23.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$1.13 BGN 1.98

12.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

$1.67 BGN 2.92

21.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$0.82 BGN 1.43

85.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,095

$23.70 BGN 41.47

18.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$0.83 BGN 1.45

298.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.64 BGN 1.13

114.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,436

$6.43 BGN 11.26

208.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.54 BGN 2.70

18.18%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$29.4K BGN 51.4K

1.49%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$21.9K BGN 38.2K

54.70%

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

$171 Ft 55.5K

$93.8 BGN 164

82.41%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,631

$12.70 BGN 22.23

85.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,560

$12.37 BGN 21.65

88.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$22.91 BGN 40.10

194.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,133

$14.93 BGN 26.13

26.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,018

$5.73 BGN 10.03

62.30%

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

$533 Ft 173.1K

$227 BGN 397

134.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$2,325 BGN 4,069

620.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$30.38 BGN 53.2

227.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$19.31 BGN 33.79

125.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$63.6 BGN 111

73.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$51.9 BGN 90.8

129.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$332 BGN 581

150.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

$251 BGN 440

147.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.2K

$552 BGN 967

188.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.9K

$393 BGN 687

198.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,311 BGN 2,294

344.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,080 BGN 1,889

260.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.9K

$1,077 BGN 1,885

53.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.99

115.72%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Vratsa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Vratsa

$251 30.6% 59.6% $371

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Vratsa

$178 21.7% 31% $80

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Vratsa

$134 16.3% 40.1% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Vratsa

$119 14.5% 45.4% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Vratsa

$74 9.1% 55.6% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Vratsa

$34 4.2% 60.1% $52

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Vratsa

$31 3.8% 29.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $332 in Vratsa. 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 53% 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $29.00 in Vratsa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $178 – making Vratsa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇬 Vratsa

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

00:41 12:41 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

60,877

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Vratsa 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Vratsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,232 in Vratsa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 18% less in Vratsa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $227 in Vratsa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Vratsa, where all-in costs run around $821, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Vratsa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Vratsa – 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 Vratsa. 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.