Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Deva and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Deva: $862 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Deva
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Deva Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Deva

🇷🇴 Romania

$862

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $862 per month in Deva vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Deva $862
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,338 per month in Deva vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Deva $1,338
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $1,814 per month in Deva vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Deva $1,814
Budapest $3,483

Deva is about 47% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Deva sits 36% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.81 RON 32.20

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-51.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.08 RON 99.7

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-65.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.28 RON 34.46

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-29.80%

Cappuccino

$1.71 RON 8.10

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-50.58%

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

$2.09 RON 9.89

$2.07 Ft 669

0.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.68

$1.77 Ft 572

-32.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 RON 6.13

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-65.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 RON 9.90

$3.80 Ft 1,229

-45.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 RON 7.39

$1.16 Ft 374

34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 RON 6.03

$1.85 Ft 598

-31.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.21

$2.40 Ft 776

-54.17%

Eggs

$3.18 RON 15.03

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-20.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.80 RON 36.91

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-31.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.29 RON 25.05

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-23.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.12 RON 38.42

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-43.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.49

$1.88 Ft 607

-27.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.52

$2.14 Ft 693

-35.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 RON 7.23

$2.30 Ft 744

-33.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.05

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-47.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 RON 3.37

$1.02 Ft 329

-30.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 RON 4.54

$0.99 Ft 320

-3.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 RON 4.04

$1.58 Ft 510

-46.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 RON 4.05

$0.70 Ft 225

22.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 RON 25.26

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-33.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.39 RON 34.98

$6.18 Ft 1,997

19.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$1.24 Ft 401

-13.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.28

$2.06 Ft 666

-15.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 RON 2.67

$1.59 Ft 513

-64.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.18 RON 152

$27.52 Ft 8,893

16.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 RON 3.74

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-76.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 RON 3.12

$1.33 Ft 431

-50.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.58 RON 40.59

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-58.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.68

$1.93 Ft 624

-16.06%

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

$28.8K RON 136.1K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-1.28%

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

$24.7K RON 116.8K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-28.90%

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

$133 RON 631

$175 Ft 56.4K

-23.56%

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

$8.71 RON 41.23

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-63.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.54 RON 45.15

$23.60 Ft 7,625

-59.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.18 RON 185

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-43.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$53.0 RON 251

$19.26 Ft 6,224

175.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 RON 29.70

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-39.09%

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

$577 RON 2,731

$535 Ft 172.9K

7.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,789 RON 46.3K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-41.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.0 RON 326

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-30.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.86 RON 212

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

3.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 RON 402

$112 Ft 36.1K

-24.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 RON 351

$119 Ft 38.4K

-37.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 RON 1,122

$832 Ft 268.8K

-71.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 RON 871

$629 Ft 203.3K

-70.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$400 RON 1,892

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-74.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 RON 1,672

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-70.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,841 RON 22.9K

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-15.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,476 RON 16.4K

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-11.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,154 RON 5,458

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

-32.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

6.45

3.10%

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

Last update for Deva: October 17, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Deva

$193 22.4%

Budapest

$262 16% 35.7% $69

Accommodation & Living

Deva

$184 21.3%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 242% $445

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Deva

$152 17.6%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 46.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Deva

$123 14.2%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 37% $45

Eating Out

Deva

$121 14%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 87.6% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Deva

$52 6%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 72.9% $38

Getting Around

Deva

$39 4.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 14.1% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $237 in Deva versus $832 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 48% 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 $21.00 in Deva versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $262 – making Deva the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Deva

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

13:45 1:45 PM

12:45 12:45 PM

1 h behind Deva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,123

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Deva Budapest 340 km

From you

Deva
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

Deva vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,294 per month in Deva and $2,461 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 17% less in Deva. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $577 per month in Deva and $535 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 Deva, where all-in costs run around $862, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Deva it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Deva – 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 Deva. 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.