Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Constanta and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Constanta: $1,264 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Constanta
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Constanta Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Constanta

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,264

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,264 per month in Constanta vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Constanta $1,264
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,906 per month in Constanta vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Constanta $1,906
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,547 per month in Constanta vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Constanta $2,547
Budapest $3,489

Constanta is about 22% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Constanta sits 6% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.73 RON 60.2

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-9.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 RON 301

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

5.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.36

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-24.90%

Cappuccino

$3.16 RON 14.96

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-6.51%

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

$1.78 RON 8.40

$2.13 Ft 692

-16.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 RON 6.01

$1.87 Ft 608

-32.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 RON 10.28

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-42.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 RON 15.34

$3.57 Ft 1,162

-9.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.83

$1.13 Ft 368

46.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 RON 5.78

$1.84 Ft 599

-33.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.01

$2.39 Ft 777

-29.29%

Eggs

$2.89 RON 13.68

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-24.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.75 RON 41.38

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-22.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 RON 25.99

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-18.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.01 RON 42.62

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-38.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$1.84 Ft 597

-29.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 RON 7.48

$2.01 Ft 653

-21.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$2.36 Ft 767

-33.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 RON 12.75

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-28.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.34

$0.96 Ft 313

-4.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.48

$1.03 Ft 334

-7.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$1.56 Ft 509

-36.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 RON 4.16

$0.66 Ft 216

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.31

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-19.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.47 RON 30.59

$6.01 Ft 1,954

7.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 RON 4.97

$1.30 Ft 421

-19.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 RON 8.04

$2.08 Ft 676

-18.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 RON 2.89

$1.50 Ft 489

-59.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.98 RON 80.3

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-38.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.78

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-75.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$1.30 Ft 424

-38.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.39 RON 34.97

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-62.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 RON 9.15

$1.81 Ft 591

7.18%

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

$28.3K RON 133.8K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-3.55%

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

$24.4K RON 115.6K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-28.36%

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

$167 RON 792

$170 Ft 55.3K

-1.47%

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

$7.64 RON 36.14

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-68.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.66 RON 36.24

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-67.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 RON 257

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-17.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.60 RON 64.3

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-29.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.01 RON 33.17

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-26.37%

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

$564 RON 2,667

$537 Ft 174.6K

5.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,583 RON 35.9K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-54.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 RON 311

$101 Ft 33.0K

-35.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 RON 217

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

6.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 RON 415

$113 Ft 36.7K

-22.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.3 RON 413

$119 Ft 38.6K

-26.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$590 RON 2,788

$805 Ft 262.0K

-26.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 RON 2,209

$629 Ft 204.7K

-25.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,067 RON 5,049

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-31.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 RON 3,514

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-36.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 RON 11.9K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-55.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,034 RON 9,622

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-48.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$962 RON 4,548

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-40.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.99

6.43

8.71%

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

Last update for Constanta: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Constanta

$467 36.9%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 34.7% $162

Groceries & Markets

Constanta

$204 16.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 26.1% $53

Eating Out

Constanta

$192 15.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 17% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Constanta

$183 14.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 18.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Constanta

$129 10.2%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 31.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Constanta

$68 5.4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 24.8% $17

Getting Around

Constanta

$24 1.9%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 79.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $590 in Constanta versus $805 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 69% 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 $64.0 in Constanta versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $204 in Constanta vs $258 in Budapest – so Constanta wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Constanta

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

1 h behind Constanta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

283,872

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Constanta Budapest 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Constanta
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

Constanta vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,897 per month in Constanta and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 63% less in Constanta. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $564 per month in Constanta and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Constanta, where all-in costs run around $1,264, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Constanta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Constanta – 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 Constanta. 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.