Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buzau and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
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Buzau Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buzau and in Budapest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Buzau and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $979 per month in Buzau vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Buzau $979
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,449 per month in Buzau vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Buzau $1,449
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,919 per month in Buzau vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Buzau $1,919
Budapest $3,429

Buzau is about 40% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Buzau sits 27% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.42 RON 49.30

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-25.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.71 RON 117

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-59.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 RON 29.79

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-38.17%

Cappuccino

$2.02 RON 9.58

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-38.04%

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

$1.93 RON 9.12

$2.14 Ft 690

-9.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 RON 7.08

$1.78 Ft 577

-15.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 RON 7.85

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-55.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 RON 8.10

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-54.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 RON 8.32

$1.15 Ft 371

53.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.21

$1.79 Ft 578

-26.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.84

$2.49 Ft 804

-41.77%

Eggs

$3.10 RON 14.67

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-20.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.50 RON 35.47

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-32.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 RON 31.33

$6.62 Ft 2,139

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 RON 52.5

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-24.44%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.50

$1.83 Ft 591

-48.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.72

$2.05 Ft 661

-20.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 RON 5.25

$2.37 Ft 765

-53.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-68.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 RON 3.18

$0.99 Ft 320

-32.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.68

$1.00 Ft 322

-22.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 RON 2.28

$1.58 Ft 511

-69.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$0.67 Ft 216

-1.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 RON 29.54

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-21.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 RON 30.42

$6.22 Ft 2,009

3.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RON 3.58

$1.27 Ft 411

-40.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RON 6.77

$2.03 Ft 654

-29.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$1.52 Ft 490

-56.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.60 RON 102

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-22.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 RON 2.47

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-84.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 RON 2.32

$1.37 Ft 442

-64.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.27

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-68.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.81

$1.82 Ft 589

-9.34%

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

$19.4K RON 91.7K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-34.94%

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

$21.1K RON 100.0K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-37.48%

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

$119 RON 563

$171 Ft 55.3K

-30.52%

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

$7.87 RON 37.24

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-66.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.72 RON 36.53

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-66.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.03 RON 152

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-52.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.85 RON 84.5

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-5.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 RON 32.60

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-25.91%

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

$285 RON 1,348

$533 Ft 172.3K

-46.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,766 RON 32.0K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-59.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 RON 258

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-45.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 RON 273

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

32.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 RON 461

$110 Ft 35.7K

-11.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 RON 398

$119 Ft 38.4K

-29.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$344 RON 1,629

$830 Ft 268.3K

-58.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 RON 1,379

$622 Ft 200.9K

-53.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 RON 2,867

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-61.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 RON 2,002

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-63.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,475 RON 6,976

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-74.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,194 RON 5,648

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-69.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 RON 4,021

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-48.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

6.45

8.06%

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

Last update for Buzau: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buzau

$292 29.8%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 113% $330

Groceries & Markets

Buzau

$196 20%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 31.7% $62

Eating Out

Buzau

$152 15.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 46.8% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buzau

$134 13.7%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 62% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Buzau

$132 13.5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 26.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Buzau

$46 4.7%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 88% $40

Getting Around

Buzau

$27 2.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 62.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $344 in Buzau versus $830 in Budapest. 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 94% 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 $25.00 in Buzau versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $258 – making Buzau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Buzau

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

23:25 11:25 PM

1 h behind Buzau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,494

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

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).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buzau Budapest 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Buzau
Budapest

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

Buzau vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,469 per month in Buzau and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 30% less in Buzau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $285 per month in Buzau and $533 in Budapest. 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 Buzau, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Buzau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Buzau – 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 Buzau. 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.