Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imatra and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $1,817 in Imatra, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Imatra
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Imatra Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Imatra

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,817

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,817 per month in Imatra vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Imatra $1,817
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,677 per month in Imatra vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Imatra $2,677
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,536 per month in Imatra vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Imatra $3,536
Budapest $3,429

Imatra costs about 12% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Imatra and Budapest sit above the global median – Imatra by 35%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.29 €10.04

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-19.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 €50.1

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-8.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 €8.11

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-10.50%

Cappuccino

$4.33 €3.85

$3.26 Ft 1,055

32.82%

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

$3.03 €2.69

$2.14 Ft 690

41.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.78 Ft 577

11.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.70 €6.85

$3.71 Ft 1,198

107.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.02 €8.02

$3.77 Ft 1,217

139.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.15 Ft 371

7.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 €2.37

$1.79 Ft 578

48.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$2.49 Ft 804

-0.40%

Eggs

$3.24 €2.89

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-16.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.01 €8.01

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-18.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.38 €12.79

$6.62 Ft 2,139

117.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.78 €19.38

$14.69 Ft 4,745

48.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.83 Ft 591

23.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.05 Ft 661

1.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.37 Ft 765

8.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 €3.54

$3.90 Ft 1,260

2.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.99 Ft 320

28.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.00 Ft 322

91.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.58 Ft 511

84.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.83

$0.67 Ft 216

205.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.57 €11.18

$7.96 Ft 2,572

57.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.04 €14.26

$6.22 Ft 2,009

157.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 €2.83

$1.27 Ft 411

150.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 €2.99

$2.03 Ft 654

65.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.38 €3.00

$1.52 Ft 490

122.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.8 €58.5

$28.02 Ft 9,053

134.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 €3.89

$3.31 Ft 1,070

32.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.37 Ft 442

-1.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$66.4 €59.0

$19.83 Ft 6,406

234.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.82 Ft 589

31.87%

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

$36.8K €32.8K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

23.58%

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

$36.9K €32.9K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

9.25%

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

$129 €115

$171 Ft 55.3K

-24.51%

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

$24.29 €21.61

$23.51 Ft 7,596

3.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.24 €21.56

$23.29 Ft 7,526

4.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.99 €35.57

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-40.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.89 €21.25

$18.89 Ft 6,104

26.47%

Cinema Ticket

$17.65 €15.70

$9.30 Ft 3,004

89.78%

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

$329 €293

$533 Ft 172.3K

-38.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-30.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.0 €85.4

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-3.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.25 €43.81

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

13.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.4

$110 Ft 35.7K

-6.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 €137

$119 Ft 38.4K

29.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 €714

$830 Ft 268.3K

-3.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 €594

$622 Ft 200.9K

7.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,202 €1,069

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-24.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 €843

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-18.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,259 €3,789

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-26.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,946 €1,731

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-49.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.51

6.45

-45.58%

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

Last update for Imatra: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Imatra

$668 36.8%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 6.9% $46

Groceries & Markets

Imatra

$379 20.9%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 31.9% $121

Eating Out

Imatra

$246 13.6%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 9.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Imatra

$181 10%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 7.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imatra

$178 9.8%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 22.6% $40

Getting Around

Imatra

$90 5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 51.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Imatra

$75 4.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 14.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $802 in Imatra 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Imatra versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $379 in Imatra vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Imatra

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

1 h behind Imatra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,919

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Imatra Budapest 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Imatra
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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

Imatra vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Imatra is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,725 per month in Imatra 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 Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 135% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $329 per month in Imatra and $533 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 Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Imatra at $1,817. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Imatra it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Imatra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.