Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cahul and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Cahul: $635 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cahul
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Cahul Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Cahul

🇲🇩 Moldova

$635

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Cahul vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Cahul $635
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $927 per month in Cahul vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Cahul $927
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,219 per month in Cahul vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Cahul $1,219
Budapest $3,429

Cahul is about 61% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cahul sits 53% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.54 MDL 152

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-38.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.42 MDL 416

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-61.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.36 MDL 184

$10.19 Ft 3,291

1.67%

Cappuccino

$1.67 MDL 29.62

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-48.77%

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

$1.10 MDL 19.60

$2.14 Ft 690

-48.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 MDL 10.39

$1.78 Ft 577

-67.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 MDL 35.05

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-46.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 MDL 32.05

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-52.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 MDL 21.41

$1.15 Ft 371

5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 MDL 8.13

$1.79 Ft 578

-74.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 MDL 27.58

$2.49 Ft 804

-37.75%

Eggs

$2.15 MDL 38.13

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-44.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 MDL 118

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-40.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.69 MDL 83.3

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-29.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.09 MDL 108

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-58.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 MDL 17.74

$1.83 Ft 591

-45.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 MDL 40.16

$2.05 Ft 661

10.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MDL 33.62

$2.37 Ft 765

-20.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 MDL 40.46

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-41.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 MDL 13.69

$0.99 Ft 320

-22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 MDL 8.51

$1.00 Ft 322

-52.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 MDL 8.18

$1.58 Ft 511

-70.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MDL 9.76

$0.67 Ft 216

-17.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 MDL 58.8

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-58.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.54 MDL 80.7

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-27.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 MDL 25.07

$1.27 Ft 411

11.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 MDL 34.54

$2.03 Ft 654

-4.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 MDL 4.78

$1.52 Ft 490

-82.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 MDL 51.0

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-13.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 MDL 4.62

$1.37 Ft 442

-81.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MDL 101

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-71.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 MDL 27.84

$1.82 Ft 589

-13.74%

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

$33.4K MDL 593.4K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

12.14%

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

$23.8K MDL 422.6K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-29.62%

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

$225 MDL 3,990

$171 Ft 55.3K

31.28%

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

$8.06 MDL 143

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-65.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.01 MDL 196

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-52.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 MDL 137

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-16.77%

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

$111 MDL 1,978

$533 Ft 172.3K

-79.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,302 MDL 94.2K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-68.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.70 MDL 794

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-55.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.5 MDL 985

$110 Ft 35.7K

-49.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.1 MDL 908

$119 Ft 38.4K

-57.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 MDL 8,884

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-69.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

24.03%

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

Last update for Cahul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cahul

$244 38.4%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 10.6% $26

Groceries & Markets

Cahul

$162 25.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 58.9% $96

Eating Out

Cahul

$140 22%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 59.7% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Cahul

$68 * 10.7%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 146% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Cahul

$15 * 2.4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 456% $71

Getting Around

Cahul

$5.3 * 0.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 743% $39

Accommodation & Living

Cahul

- * 0%

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 230% 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 $23.00 in Cahul versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $162 vs $258 – making Cahul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Cahul

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

04:23 4:23 AM

1 h behind Cahul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,500

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cahul Budapest 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cahul
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

Cahul vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 155%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $952 per month in Cahul and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Cahul and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cahul, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Cahul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cahul – 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 Cahul. 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.