Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chios and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Chios: $1,429 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in Chios
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Chios Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Chios

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,429

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,429 per month in Chios vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Chios $1,429
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,099 per month in Chios vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Chios $2,099
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,770 per month in Chios vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Chios $2,770
Budapest $3,429

Chios is about 12% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chios and Budapest sit above the global median – Chios by 6%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.92 €12.38

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-0.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.95 €39.09

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-28.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.98 €12.44

$10.19 Ft 3,291

37.19%

Cappuccino

$3.64 €3.24

$3.26 Ft 1,055

11.66%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$2.14 Ft 690

10.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.78 Ft 577

-48.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 €4.01

$3.71 Ft 1,198

21.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 €3.89

$3.77 Ft 1,217

15.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.15 Ft 371

36.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.79 Ft 578

-23.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$2.49 Ft 804

3.61%

Eggs

$4.54 €4.04

$3.90 Ft 1,261

16.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.11 €11.66

$11.10 Ft 3,587

18.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.76 €8.69

$6.62 Ft 2,139

47.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.93 €12.39

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-5.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.83 Ft 591

21.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.05 Ft 661

-0.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$2.37 Ft 765

-43.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-48.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.99 Ft 320

13.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.00 Ft 322

6.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.58 Ft 511

-33.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.67 Ft 216

26.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 €5.33

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-24.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 €6.28

$6.22 Ft 2,009

13.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.27 Ft 411

55.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.37

$2.03 Ft 654

31.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.52 Ft 490

-13.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.37 €38.57

$28.02 Ft 9,053

54.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 €3.62

$3.31 Ft 1,070

22.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.37 Ft 442

-10.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.42 €14.61

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-17.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.82 Ft 589

13.74%

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

$31.4K €28.0K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

5.45%

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

$22.2K €19.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-34.30%

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

$199 €177

$171 Ft 55.3K

16.34%

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

$20.12 €17.90

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-14.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.27 €24.26

$23.29 Ft 7,526

17.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 €46.01

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-23.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.23 €21.55

$18.89 Ft 6,104

28.27%

Cinema Ticket

$9.92 €8.83

$9.30 Ft 3,004

6.67%

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

$432 €384

$533 Ft 172.3K

-19.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,719 €5,977

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-59.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.4 €68.9

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-22.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.43 €37.75

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-2.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 €70.2

$110 Ft 35.7K

-28.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$119 Ft 38.4K

-1.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 €482

$830 Ft 268.3K

-34.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 €349

$622 Ft 200.9K

-36.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$688 €612

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-56.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 €491

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-52.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,409 €2,143

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-58.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,499 €2,223

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-35.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

6.45

-30.85%

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

Last update for Chios: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chios

$393 27.5%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 58.3% $229

Groceries & Markets

Chios

$276 19.3%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 6.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chios

$246 17.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 11.6% $29

Eating Out

Chios

$241 16.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 7.6% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Chios

$142 10%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 17.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Chios

$72 5%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 20.3% $15

Getting Around

Chios

$59 4.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 24.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $541 in Chios 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Chios versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $276 in Chios vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Chios

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

21:51 9:51 PM

20:51 8:51 PM

1 h behind Chios

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,408

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chios Budapest 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chios
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

Chios vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,144 per month in Chios 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 Chios, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 55% less in Chios. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Chios 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 Chios, where all-in costs run around $1,429, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Chios it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chios – 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 Chios. 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.