Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heraklion and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in Heraklion and in Budapest: $1,609 and $1,621 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,609

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,609 per month in Heraklion vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Heraklion $1,609
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,492 per month in Heraklion vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Heraklion $2,492
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,374 per month in Heraklion vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Heraklion $3,374
Budapest $3,489

Heraklion is about 1% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Heraklion and Budapest sit above the global median – Heraklion by 20%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.02 €11.62

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-6.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 €50.4

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-6.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.03 €8.96

$9.96 Ft 3,241

0.70%

Cappuccino

$3.80 €3.39

$3.38 Ft 1,100

12.43%

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

$2.43 €2.17

$2.13 Ft 692

14.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.87 Ft 608

-59.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.02

$3.75 Ft 1,221

49.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.89

$3.57 Ft 1,162

53.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.13 Ft 368

58.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.84 Ft 599

-20.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.39 Ft 777

14.23%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.91

$3.83 Ft 1,245

14.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.75 €14.06

$11.33 Ft 3,686

39.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 €9.30

$6.74 Ft 2,192

54.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.23 €13.59

$14.69 Ft 4,780

3.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.84 Ft 597

21.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$2.01 Ft 653

3.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$2.36 Ft 767

-43.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-53.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.96 Ft 313

22.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.03 Ft 334

18.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.56 Ft 509

-39.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.66 Ft 216

7.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 €4.57

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-35.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 €6.96

$6.01 Ft 1,954

29.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.30 Ft 421

74.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 €2.57

$2.08 Ft 676

38.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.50 Ft 489

-2.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 €59.8

$27.61 Ft 8,982

142.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 €4.02

$3.30 Ft 1,074

36.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.30 Ft 424

-13.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.08 €9.89

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-43.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.81 Ft 591

23.76%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-4.65%

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

$24.0K €21.5K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-29.51%

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

$195 €174

$170 Ft 55.3K

14.79%

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

$30.21 €26.96

$23.98 Ft 7,802

25.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.66 €33.61

$23.42 Ft 7,621

60.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.93 €44.56

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-24.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.72 €35.44

$19.18 Ft 6,239

107.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 €8.07

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-4.94%

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

$410 €366

$537 Ft 174.6K

-23.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,089 €3,649

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-75.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 €79.4

$101 Ft 33.0K

-12.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.78 €38.18

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-0.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 €73.7

$113 Ft 36.7K

-26.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €122

$119 Ft 38.6K

14.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$805 Ft 262.0K

-19.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 €450

$629 Ft 204.7K

-19.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €986

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-28.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 €897

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-13.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,070 €3,632

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-27.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,799 €2,498

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-29.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,111 €992

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-31.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

6.43

-30.95%

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

Last update for Heraklion: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Heraklion

$505 31.5%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 24.6% $124

Groceries & Markets

Heraklion

$295 18.4%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 12.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heraklion

$263 16.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 17.3% $46

Eating Out

Heraklion

$232 14.5%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 3.2% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Heraklion

$158 9.8%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 7.2% $11

Getting Around

Heraklion

$83 5.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 47.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Heraklion

$68 4.2%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 25.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $652 in Heraklion versus $805 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 46% 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 $56.0 in Heraklion versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Heraklion vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:16 10:16 AM

09:16 9:16 AM

1 h behind Heraklion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,730

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Heraklion Budapest 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Heraklion
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

Heraklion vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,414 per month in Heraklion and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 143% less in Heraklion. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $410 per month in Heraklion and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Heraklion, where all-in costs run around $1,609, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Heraklion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Heraklion – 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 Heraklion. 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.