Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hungary and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Hungary: $1,361 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Hungary
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Hungary Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,361

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hungary and in Italy

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Hungary and in Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,361 per month in Hungary vs $1,843 in Italy, rent included.

Hungary $1,361
Italy $1,843

A couple spends around $2,095 per month in Hungary vs $2,816 in Italy, rent included.

Hungary $2,095
Italy $2,816

A family of three spends $2,830 per month in Hungary vs $3,788 in Italy, rent included.

Hungary $2,830
Italy $3,788

The regional cost range is wider in Italy ($1,038–$2,555) than in Hungary ($1,015–$1,638), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Hungary is roughly 26% lower than in Italy on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.28 Ft 4,026

$20.46 €18.32

-39.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 Ft 17.6K

$79.5 €71.2

-32.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 Ft 3,052

$11.15 €9.99

-16.50%

Cappuccino

$2.57 Ft 843

$2.04 €1.83

25.98%

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

$1.76 Ft 578

$3.10 €2.78

-43.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 Ft 451

$1.40 €1.25

-1.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 Ft 894

$5.51 €4.94

-50.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 Ft 875

$5.74 €5.14

-53.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 Ft 395

$1.57 €1.41

-22.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 Ft 512

$2.38 €2.13

-34.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 750

$2.90 €2.60

-21.03%

Eggs

$3.50 Ft 1,146

$4.07 €3.65

-14.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 Ft 3,441

$17.44 €15.62

-39.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 Ft 2,112

$12.56 €11.25

-48.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.32 Ft 4,694

$20.17 €18.06

-29.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 659

$2.58 €2.31

-22.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 Ft 694

$2.19 €1.96

-3.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 Ft 698

$2.68 €2.40

-20.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 Ft 1,103

$3.27 €2.93

2.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 Ft 342

$1.90 €1.70

-45.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 Ft 388

$1.82 €1.63

-35.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 Ft 491

$1.57 €1.40

-4.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 Ft 192

$0.55 €0.49

7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.74 Ft 2,538

$6.69 €5.99

15.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.11 Ft 1,673

$7.99 €7.15

-36.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 Ft 392

$1.77 €1.59

-32.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 Ft 632

$2.35 €2.11

-17.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 Ft 456

$1.91 €1.71

-27.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 Ft 8,832

$43.44 €38.90

-37.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 Ft 1,121

$5.62 €5.03

-39.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 Ft 455

$1.71 €1.54

-18.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.45 Ft 6,047

$33.64 €30.12

-45.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 Ft 620

$2.03 €1.82

-6.90%

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

$27.7K Ft 9.1M

$35.3K €31.6K

-21.66%

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

$34.3K Ft 11.3M

$36.7K €32.9K

-6.57%

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

$160 Ft 52.4K

$227 €203

-29.49%

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

$25.56 Ft 8,380

$11.59 €10.38

120.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.47 Ft 7,366

$30.38 €27.21

-26.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 Ft 17.4K

$51.8 €46.37

2.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.16 Ft 5,295

$23.70 €21.22

-31.81%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 Ft 2,864

$10.60 €9.50

-17.55%

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

$399 Ft 130.6K

$568 €508

-29.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K Ft 3.6M

$11.5K €10.3K

-4.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 Ft 28.5K

$90.5 €81.1

-3.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.59 Ft 11.7K

$38.55 €34.53

-7.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 Ft 30.7K

$103 €91.9

-8.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 Ft 31.9K

$131 €117

-25.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 Ft 196.0K

$826 €739

-27.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 Ft 152.7K

$646 €579

-27.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 Ft 340.8K

$1,400 €1,254

-25.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$809 Ft 265.1K

$1,054 €944

-23.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,668 Ft 1.2M

$3,662 €3,280

0.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,683 Ft 879.6K

$2,301 €2,061

16.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,290 Ft 422.7K

$1,886 €1,689

-31.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.15

3.56

100.84%

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

Last update for Hungary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hungary

$466 34.2%

Italy

$646 35.1% 38.7% $180

Groceries & Markets

Hungary

$244 17.9%

Italy

$348 18.9% 42.5% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hungary

$208 15.3%

Italy

$269 14.6% 29.2% $61

Eating Out

Hungary

$189 13.9%

Italy

$279 15.1% 47.8% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Hungary

$141 10.4%

Italy

$163 8.9% 15.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Hungary

$71 5.2%

Italy

$73 4% 3.5% $2.5

Getting Around

Hungary

$43 3.2%

Italy

$65 3.5% 52.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $511 in Hungary vs $729 in Italy. For reference, capital cities sit at $836 in Budapest and $1,297 in Rome.

Average salary: $1,184 in Hungary vs $1,890 in Italy. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 43% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 40% more in Italy.

Public transport is 65% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 60% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Hungary

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

23:51 11:51 PM

Same time as Hungary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,599,744

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 328 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hungary Italy 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hungary
Italy

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

Hungary vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hungary is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 26% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Italy: a central one-bedroom averages $729 versus $511 in Hungary.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Hungary – part of why living there is about 26% cheaper overall.

Hungary is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.