Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haapsalu and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Haapsalu: $1,526 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Haapsalu
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Haapsalu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Haapsalu

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,526

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Haapsalu vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Haapsalu $1,526
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,255 per month in Haapsalu vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Haapsalu $2,255
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,984 per month in Haapsalu vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Haapsalu $2,984
Budapest $3,429

Haapsalu is about 6% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Haapsalu and Budapest sit above the global median – Haapsalu by 13%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.21

$13.94 Ft 4,521

22.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.4 €61.9

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

13.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.97 €9.79

$10.19 Ft 3,304

7.65%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.71

$3.26 Ft 1,059

27.61%

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

$3.32 €2.97

$2.14 Ft 693

55.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 €3.28

$1.78 Ft 579

106.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.28 €5.60

$3.71 Ft 1,203

69.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 €6.42

$3.77 Ft 1,222

90.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.15 Ft 372

6.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.79 Ft 580

7.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$2.49 Ft 807

-7.23%

Eggs

$2.93 €2.62

$3.90 Ft 1,266

-24.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 €11.27

$11.10 Ft 3,602

13.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 €7.44

$6.62 Ft 2,147

25.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.03 €13.40

$14.69 Ft 4,764

2.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.83 Ft 594

10.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.05 Ft 664

-26.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$2.37 Ft 769

2.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$3.90 Ft 1,265

-23.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.92

$0.99 Ft 322

5.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 €0.80

$1.00 Ft 323

-10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.58 Ft 513

15.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.06

$0.67 Ft 217

76.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.93

$7.96 Ft 2,582

-16.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.29 €9.17

$6.22 Ft 2,017

65.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.27 Ft 413

59.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.16

$2.03 Ft 657

19.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.52 Ft 492

-26.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.05 €15.21

$28.02 Ft 9,089

-39.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 €3.09

$3.31 Ft 1,074

4.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.37 Ft 444

-27.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.92 €24.01

$19.83 Ft 6,432

35.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.82 Ft 591

5.49%

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

$27.9K €24.9K

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

-6.30%

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

$30.5K €27.2K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-9.84%

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

$309 €276

$171 Ft 55.5K

80.63%

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

$17.66 €15.75

$23.51 Ft 7,627

-24.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.39 €31.56

$23.29 Ft 7,556

51.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.90 €39.16

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

-34.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.34 €25.28

$18.89 Ft 6,129

50.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 €5.87

$9.30 Ft 3,016

-29.25%

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

$438 €391

$533 Ft 173.0K

-17.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K €10.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-28.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.9

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

11.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.06 €43.76

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

12.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.4

$110 Ft 35.8K

-5.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €104

$119 Ft 38.6K

-1.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 €353

$830 Ft 269.4K

-52.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 €294

$622 Ft 201.7K

-47.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 €455

$1,594 Ft 516.9K

-68.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$440 €393

$1,170 Ft 379.6K

-62.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,248 €2,005

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-61.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,660 €1,480

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-57.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,392 €1,241

$1,651 Ft 535.6K

-15.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

6.45

-39.07%

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

Last update for Haapsalu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haapsalu

$362 23.7%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 39.8% $144

Accommodation & Living

Haapsalu

$330 21.6%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 88.7% $292

Eating Out

Haapsalu

$293 19.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 23.9% $70

Groceries & Markets

Haapsalu

$283 18.5%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 8.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Haapsalu

$172 11.3%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 2.4% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Haapsalu

$57 3.7%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 50.9% $29

Getting Around

Haapsalu

$30 2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 48.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $396 in Haapsalu 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 19% 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 $69.0 in Haapsalu versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Haapsalu

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

01:12 1:12 AM

00:12 12:12 AM

1 h behind Haapsalu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,593

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Haapsalu Budapest 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Haapsalu
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

Haapsalu vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Haapsalu 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 Haapsalu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Haapsalu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $438 per month in Haapsalu 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 Haapsalu, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Haapsalu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Haapsalu – 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 Haapsalu. 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.