Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bydgoszcz and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bydgoszcz: $1,455 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Bydgoszcz
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Bydgoszcz Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Bydgoszcz

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,455

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bydgoszcz 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 Bydgoszcz and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,455 per month in Bydgoszcz vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Bydgoszcz $1,455
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,206 per month in Bydgoszcz vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Bydgoszcz $2,206
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,957 per month in Bydgoszcz vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Bydgoszcz $2,957
Budapest $3,429

Bydgoszcz is about 10% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bydgoszcz and Budapest sit above the global median – Bydgoszcz by 8%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.25 zł 47.61

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-12.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.5 zł 243

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

2.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.83 zł 30.43

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-23.16%

Cappuccino

$3.43 zł 13.32

$3.26 Ft 1,055

5.21%

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

$2.05 zł 7.97

$2.14 Ft 690

-4.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 zł 6.28

$1.78 Ft 577

-8.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.04 zł 15.70

$3.71 Ft 1,198

8.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 zł 14.04

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-4.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 zł 4.03

$1.15 Ft 371

-9.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 zł 6.46

$1.79 Ft 578

-7.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 zł 3.66

$2.49 Ft 804

-62.25%

Eggs

$3.71 zł 14.41

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-4.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.88 zł 34.51

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-20.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 zł 27.17

$6.62 Ft 2,139

5.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.89 zł 46.20

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-19.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 zł 5.03

$1.83 Ft 591

-29.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 zł 6.48

$2.05 Ft 661

-18.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 zł 6.04

$2.37 Ft 765

-34.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 zł 12.31

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-18.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 zł 3.67

$0.99 Ft 320

-5.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 zł 5.35

$1.00 Ft 322

38.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 zł 4.46

$1.58 Ft 511

-27.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 zł 2.67

$0.67 Ft 216

2.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.66 zł 21.97

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-28.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.42 zł 32.72

$6.22 Ft 2,009

35.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 zł 4.08

$1.27 Ft 411

-17.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 zł 5.50

$2.03 Ft 654

-30.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 zł 3.65

$1.52 Ft 490

-38.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.05 zł 105

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-3.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 zł 8.61

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-32.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 zł 3.08

$1.37 Ft 442

-42.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.70 zł 37.68

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-51.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 zł 6.29

$1.82 Ft 589

-10.99%

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

$30.0K zł 116.5K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

0.65%

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

$27.5K zł 106.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-18.74%

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

$281 zł 1,092

$171 Ft 55.3K

64.29%

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

$7.95 zł 30.89

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-66.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.79 zł 73.0

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-19.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.57 zł 154

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-41.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.49 zł 64.1

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-12.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 zł 29.17

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-19.25%

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

$329 zł 1,277

$533 Ft 172.3K

-38.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,116 zł 19.9K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-69.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 zł 311

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-19.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.78 zł 143

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-15.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 zł 337

$110 Ft 35.7K

-21.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 zł 393

$119 Ft 38.4K

-15.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$667 zł 2,592

$830 Ft 268.3K

-19.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 zł 1,898

$622 Ft 200.9K

-21.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 zł 4,213

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-31.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$883 zł 3,431

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-24.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,812 zł 10.9K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-51.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,075 zł 8,063

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-46.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,497 zł 5,814

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-9.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

6.45

6.82%

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

Last update for Bydgoszcz: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bydgoszcz

$489 33.6%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 27.3% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bydgoszcz

$308 21.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 29.2% $90

Groceries & Markets

Bydgoszcz

$225 15.5%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 14.7% $33

Eating Out

Bydgoszcz

$205 14.1%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 8.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Bydgoszcz

$137 9.4%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 22.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Bydgoszcz

$55 3.8%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 57.8% $32

Getting Around

Bydgoszcz

$37 2.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 19.6% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $667 in Bydgoszcz 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 10% 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 $62.0 in Bydgoszcz versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Bydgoszcz vs $258 in Budapest – so Bydgoszcz wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Bydgoszcz

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:51 7:51 AM

Same time as Bydgoszcz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

359,428

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bydgoszcz Budapest 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bydgoszcz
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

Bydgoszcz vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,182 per month in Bydgoszcz 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 Bydgoszcz, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Bydgoszcz. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $329 per month in Bydgoszcz and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bydgoszcz, where all-in costs run around $1,455, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Bydgoszcz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bydgoszcz – 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 Bydgoszcz. 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.