Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Debrecen and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Debrecen: $1,431 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Debrecen
Learn more

Debrecen Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Debrecen

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,431

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,431 per month in Debrecen vs $1,638 in Budapest, rent included.

Debrecen $1,431
Budapest $1,638

A couple spends around $2,252 per month in Debrecen vs $2,553 in Budapest, rent included.

Debrecen $2,252
Budapest $2,553

A family of three spends $3,073 per month in Debrecen vs $3,467 in Budapest, rent included.

Debrecen $3,073
Budapest $3,467

Debrecen is about 13% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Debrecen and Budapest sit above the global median – Debrecen by 5%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,490

$13.81 Ft 4,548

-1.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.04 Ft 15.8K

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

-21.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 Ft 3,120

$10.16 Ft 3,345

-6.79%

Cappuccino

$2.34 Ft 770

$3.22 Ft 1,061

-27.33%

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

$1.59 Ft 524

$2.06 Ft 679

-22.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 Ft 347

$1.83 Ft 604

-42.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 Ft 599

$3.60 Ft 1,187

-49.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 Ft 735

$3.66 Ft 1,207

-39.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Ft 411

$1.19 Ft 392

5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 Ft 495

$1.87 Ft 616

-19.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 790

$2.37 Ft 779

1.27%

Eggs

$3.60 Ft 1,186

$3.96 Ft 1,304

-9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.32 Ft 3,399

$11.16 Ft 3,677

-7.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 Ft 2,295

$6.76 Ft 2,226

3.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 Ft 5,075

$14.35 Ft 4,727

7.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 673

$1.81 Ft 595

12.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 Ft 735

$2.11 Ft 695

5.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 Ft 666

$2.33 Ft 769

-13.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 Ft 1,165

$3.80 Ft 1,253

-6.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 Ft 298

$0.99 Ft 327

-9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 Ft 415

$0.98 Ft 324

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 Ft 497

$1.55 Ft 511

-2.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 Ft 186

$0.70 Ft 229

-18.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.18 Ft 2,366

$7.79 Ft 2,567

-7.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.17 Ft 1,373

$6.05 Ft 1,993

-31.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 Ft 407

$1.28 Ft 421

-3.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 Ft 697

$2.04 Ft 671

3.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 Ft 516

$1.55 Ft 511

1.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.09 Ft 8,595

$27.28 Ft 8,987

-4.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 Ft 1,080

$3.30 Ft 1,086

-0.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 Ft 465

$1.31 Ft 433

7.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.34 Ft 4,063

$20.26 Ft 6,673

-39.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 Ft 623

$1.82 Ft 599

3.85%

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

$26.9K Ft 8.9M

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

-6.35%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.2M

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

3.11%

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

$154 Ft 50.7K

$172 Ft 56.7K

-10.54%

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

$26.21 Ft 8,635

$23.95 Ft 7,890

9.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.46 Ft 7,068

$23.31 Ft 7,679

-7.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 Ft 17.9K

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

-20.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.85 Ft 2,586

$18.91 Ft 6,229

-58.49%

Cinema Ticket

$9.76 Ft 3,215

$10.18 Ft 3,353

-4.13%

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

$410 Ft 135.1K

$600 Ft 197.8K

-31.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K Ft 3.5M

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

-35.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 Ft 28.9K

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

-11.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.34 Ft 11.0K

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

-22.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 Ft 28.2K

$113 Ft 37.2K

-24.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 Ft 33.2K

$117 Ft 38.6K

-13.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 Ft 225.0K

$836 Ft 275.4K

-18.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 Ft 176.4K

$640 Ft 210.7K

-16.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 Ft 460.9K

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

-12.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 Ft 352.4K

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

-11.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,252 Ft 1.1M

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

-42.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,498 Ft 822.8K

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

-34.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,236 Ft 407.1K

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

-26.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.9

6.45

6.98%

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

Last update for Debrecen: October 24, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Debrecen

$535 37.4%

Budapest

$640 39.1% 19.5% $104

Groceries & Markets

Debrecen

$250 17.4%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 3.5% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Debrecen

$202 14.1%

Budapest

$219 13.4% 8.8% $18

Eating Out

Debrecen

$190 13.3%

Budapest

$221 13.5% 16.3% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Debrecen

$138 9.7%

Budapest

$168 10.2% 21.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Debrecen

$74 5.2%

Budapest

$89 5.4% 20.3% $15

Getting Around

Debrecen

$43 3%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 1.5% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $683 in Debrecen versus $836 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 35% higher in Budapest. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Debrecen versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $258 – making Debrecen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Debrecen

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

Same time as Debrecen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,704

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Debrecen Budapest 190 km

From you

Debrecen
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

Debrecen vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,147 per month in Debrecen and $2,457 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Debrecen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $683 there versus $836 in Budapest.

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

Kindergarten costs $410 per month in Debrecen and $600 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,431 in Debrecen and $1,638 in Budapest. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Debrecen – 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 Debrecen. 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.