Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cricova and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Cricova: $1,022 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Cricova
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Cricova Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Cricova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,022

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,022 per month in Cricova vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Cricova $1,022
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,858 per month in Cricova vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Cricova $1,858
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,693 per month in Cricova vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Cricova $2,693
Budapest $3,429

Cricova is about 37% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cricova sits 24% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.25 MDL 146

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-40.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.53 MDL 489

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-55.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.30 MDL 183

$10.19 Ft 3,291

1.08%

Cappuccino

$1.08 MDL 19.20

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-66.87%

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

$1.05 MDL 18.59

$2.14 Ft 690

-50.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 MDL 12.14

$1.78 Ft 577

-61.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 MDL 35.55

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-46.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 MDL 39.25

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-41.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MDL 42.52

$1.15 Ft 371

107.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 MDL 8.18

$1.79 Ft 578

-74.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 MDL 19.38

$2.49 Ft 804

-56.22%

Eggs

$1.25 MDL 22.22

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-67.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 MDL 123

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-37.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 MDL 81.5

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-30.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.35 MDL 219

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-15.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 MDL 19.14

$1.83 Ft 591

-40.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 MDL 15.21

$2.05 Ft 661

-58.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 MDL 18.33

$2.37 Ft 765

-56.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MDL 19.29

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-72.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 MDL 13.44

$0.99 Ft 320

-23.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MDL 19.36

$1.00 Ft 322

9.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MDL 19.24

$1.58 Ft 511

-31.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MDL 19.37

$0.67 Ft 216

62.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 MDL 58.8

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-58.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.45 MDL 79.1

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-28.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 MDL 45.88

$1.27 Ft 411

103.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 MDL 75.9

$2.03 Ft 654

110.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MDL 9.48

$1.52 Ft 490

-65.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.39 MDL 398

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-20.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 MDL 19.57

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-66.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 MDL 4.63

$1.37 Ft 442

-81.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.53 MDL 116

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-67.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 MDL 23.12

$1.82 Ft 589

-28.57%

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

$29.2K MDL 517.9K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-2.14%

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

$23.8K MDL 422.4K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-29.65%

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

$235 MDL 4,176

$171 Ft 55.3K

37.41%

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

$7.70 MDL 137

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-67.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.02 MDL 196

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-52.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 MDL 1,003

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-16.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 MDL 199

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-40.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.42 MDL 132

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-20.22%

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

$111 MDL 1,972

$533 Ft 172.3K

-79.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,220 MDL 92.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-68.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 MDL 998

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-43.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.60 MDL 490

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-36.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 MDL 1,464

$110 Ft 35.7K

-25.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MDL 2,021

$119 Ft 38.4K

-4.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$884 MDL 15.7K

$830 Ft 268.3K

6.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 MDL 3,943

$622 Ft 200.9K

-64.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 MDL 24.4K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-13.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MDL 19.7K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-5.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,775 MDL 49.3K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-52.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,943 MDL 34.5K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-50.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$562 MDL 9,989

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-65.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.53%

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

Last update for Cricova: 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

Cricova

$254 24.8%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 14.1% $36

Accommodation & Living

Cricova

$222 21.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 180% $400

Groceries & Markets

Cricova

$191 18.7%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 35.1% $67

Eating Out

Cricova

$131 12.8%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 70% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Cricova

$126 12.3%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 33% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Cricova

$71 7%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 20.7% $15

Getting Around

Cricova

$27 2.6%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 64.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $884 in Cricova 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 194% 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 $28.00 in Cricova versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $258 – making Cricova the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Cricova

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

03:06 3:06 AM

1 h behind Cricova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,642

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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Between locations

Cricova Budapest 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cricova
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

Cricova vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,533 per month in Cricova 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 Cricova, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Cricova. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $111 per month in Cricova 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 Cricova, where all-in costs run around $1,022, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Cricova it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cricova – 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 Cricova. 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.