Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Zakynthos

For one person, living costs are similar in Budapest and in Zakynthos: $1,619 and $1,686 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Zakynthos
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Zakynthos Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Zakynthos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,686

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Zakynthos

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,686 in Zakynthos, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Zakynthos $1,686

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,543 in Zakynthos, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Zakynthos $2,543

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,400 in Zakynthos, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Zakynthos $3,400

Budapest is about 4% cheaper than Zakynthos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Zakynthos sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Zakynthos by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$28.04 €24.94

-50.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$56.4 €50.1

8.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$11.05 €9.83

-7.78%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.78 €4.25

-31.80%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$5.61 €4.99

-61.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.62 €0.55

187.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$4.92 €4.38

-24.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$6.75 €6.00

-44.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.28 €2.03

-49.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.92 €1.71

-6.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.56 €2.28

-2.73%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$4.72 €4.19

-17.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$14.78 €13.15

-24.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$14.79 €13.15

-55.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$12.29 €10.93

19.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.55 €3.15

-48.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.09 €1.86

-1.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.36 €1.21

74.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.91 €1.69

104.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.17 €1.04

-15.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.17 €1.04

-14.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.11 €0.99

42.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.96 €1.75

-65.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.23 €4.65

52.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.11 €6.32

-12.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.76 €1.56

-27.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.61 €2.32

-22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.00 €1.78

-24.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$44.72 €39.78

-37.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.27 €3.80

-22.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.13 €1.00

21.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$17.48 €15.55

13.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.95 €1.74

-6.67%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$23.9K €21.2K

24.83%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$21.8K €19.4K

55.23%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$201 €179

-15.02%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$42.62 €37.91

-44.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$30.11 €26.79

-22.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$50.1 €44.53

34.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$26.47 €23.55

-28.64%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$9.50 €8.45

-2.11%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$428 €380

24.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$8,273 €7,359

102.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$89.3 €79.4

11.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$39.12 €34.80

11.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$123 €109

-10.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$137 €122

-13.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$384 €341

116.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$394 €351

57.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$781 €695

103.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$562 €500

108.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,621 €2,331

122.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,228 €1,982

74.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,311 €1,166

25.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.46

44.62%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zakynthos: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Zakynthos

$394 23.4% 36.6% $228

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Zakynthos

$334 19.8% 29.3% $76

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Zakynthos

$378 22.4% 69.5% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Zakynthos

$274 16.3% 25.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Zakynthos

$175 10.4% 4.3% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Zakynthos

$69 4.1% 19.8% $17

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Zakynthos

$63 3.7% 41.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $384 in Zakynthos. 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 26% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $56.0 in Zakynthos. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $334 in Zakynthos – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇷 Zakynthos

🕒 Local time

23:54 11:54 PM

00:54 12:54 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

39,015

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Zakynthos 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Budapest
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Zakynthos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zakynthos is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,530 in Zakynthos. 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 60% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $428 in Zakynthos. 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 Zakynthos at $1,686. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zakynthos 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, Zakynthos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.