Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and Hungary Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and Hungary

Name: Hungary
Address: HU

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,062 in Germany versus $1,301 in Hungary.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,093 in Germany versus $1,996 in Hungary.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,124 in Germany versus $2,691 in Hungary.

Living in Germany is roughly 58% more expensive than in Hungary on average.

Germany (50% above) and Hungary (6% below) straddle the global median.

Internal cost variation is higher in Germany: monthly costs span $1,373 to $2,819, compared to $1,055–$1,730 in Hungary. City choice carries more weight in Germany.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.76 €15.31

$12.71 Ft 3,982

39.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.8 €65.3

$57.7 Ft 18.1K

31.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.99 €11.20

$9.38 Ft 2,939

38.49%

Cappuccino

$4.21 €3.63

$2.74 Ft 857

53.65%

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

$3.61 €3.11

$1.80 Ft 564

100.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 €2.72

$1.47 Ft 461

114.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 €4.44

$2.94 Ft 923

75.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 €4.10

$2.93 Ft 917

62.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.19

$1.27 Ft 397

9.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €1.95

$1.61 Ft 505

40.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 €3.16

$2.47 Ft 773

48.58%

Eggs

$4.04 €3.49

$3.71 Ft 1,162

8.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.25 €13.14

$11.08 Ft 3,472

37.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.51

$7.00 Ft 2,193

74.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.15 €19.09

$15.59 Ft 4,884

42.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 €2.84

$2.08 Ft 651

58.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.78

$2.26 Ft 708

-8.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 €2.03

$2.35 Ft 737

0.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 €3.84

$3.51 Ft 1,100

26.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 €1.28

$1.09 Ft 340

35.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.27

$1.27 Ft 399

15.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.46

$1.62 Ft 508

4.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.93

$0.55 Ft 173

94.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.26 €8.84

$8.24 Ft 2,581

24.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.84 €5.04

$5.35 Ft 1,675

9.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €0.97

$1.31 Ft 410

-13.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.44

$2.07 Ft 650

-19.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.91 €3.37

$1.41 Ft 441

177.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 €64.1

$29.12 Ft 9,121

155.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.49 €4.73

$3.59 Ft 1,124

52.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 €2.52

$1.41 Ft 441

107.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.10 €35.42

$19.31 Ft 6,050

112.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.88

$1.95 Ft 612

11.79%

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

$33.6K €28.9K

$31.1K Ft 9.7M

8.06%

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

$40.1K €34.5K

$36.1K Ft 11.3M

10.99%

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

$361 €311

$170 Ft 53.3K

112.18%

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

$25.64 €22.10

$27.22 Ft 8,527

-5.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 €43.25

$24.48 Ft 7,668

104.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.38 €35.67

$53.0 Ft 16.6K

-21.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.86 €24.88

$17.89 Ft 5,605

61.32%

Cinema Ticket

$15.35 €13.24

$8.94 Ft 2,800

71.70%

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

$595 €513

$408 Ft 127.9K

45.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K €15.6K

$11.5K Ft 3.6M

57.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.3 €79.6

$92.0 Ft 28.8K

0.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.49 €38.35

$37.59 Ft 11.8K

18.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €89.6

$98.9 Ft 31.0K

5.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €117

$106 Ft 33.1K

28.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$937 €808

$615 Ft 192.5K

52.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 €612

$470 Ft 147.3K

51.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 €1,481

$1,045 Ft 327.3K

64.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 €1,156

$819 Ft 256.7K

63.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,286 €5,419

$3,838 Ft 1.2M

63.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,188 €3,610

$2,866 Ft 897.9K

46.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,400 €2,931

$1,342 Ft 420.3K

153.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

7.2

-45.00%

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

Last update for Germany: September 7, 2026

Last update for Hungary: September 5, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $838 in Germany, $528 in Hungary. Capital cities: $1,533 in Berlin vs $846 in Budapest.

National salary averages: $3,229 in Germany, $1,231 in Hungary. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 59% higher in Germany.

Dining out costs 37% more in Germany.

Public transport is 152% more expensive in Germany.

Salaries are 162% higher in Germany, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Germany.

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

Germany vs Hungary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,096 per month in Germany and $1,393 in Hungary, there's a 51% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Hungary: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Germany is consistently higher than in Hungary across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Hungary, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Germany it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Hungary wins on affordability; Germany may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.