Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Hungary

Name: Hungary
Address: HU

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.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Hungary
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Hungary Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Hungary

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

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

Italy $1,843
Hungary $1,361

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

Italy $2,816
Hungary $2,095

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

Italy $3,788
Hungary $2,830

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 Italy is about 35% higher than in Hungary on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.32

$12.28 Ft 4,026

66.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.2

$53.8 Ft 17.6K

47.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €9.99

$9.31 Ft 3,052

19.76%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$2.57 Ft 843

-20.62%

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

$3.10 €2.78

$1.76 Ft 578

76.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.38 Ft 451

1.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.94

$2.73 Ft 894

101.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$2.67 Ft 875

114.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.21 Ft 395

29.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.56 Ft 512

52.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$2.29 Ft 750

26.64%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.65

$3.50 Ft 1,146

16.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.62

$10.50 Ft 3,441

66.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.25

$6.44 Ft 2,112

95.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €18.06

$14.32 Ft 4,694

40.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.01 Ft 659

28.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.12 Ft 694

3.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$2.13 Ft 698

25.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.93

$3.36 Ft 1,103

-2.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.04 Ft 342

82.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.18 Ft 388

54.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.50 Ft 491

4.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.59 Ft 192

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €5.99

$7.74 Ft 2,538

-13.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.15

$5.11 Ft 1,673

56.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.20 Ft 392

47.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.93 Ft 632

21.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.39 Ft 456

37.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €38.90

$26.94 Ft 8,832

61.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.03

$3.42 Ft 1,121

64.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.54

$1.39 Ft 455

23.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.12

$18.45 Ft 6,047

82.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.89 Ft 620

7.41%

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

$35.3K €31.6K

$27.7K Ft 9.1M

27.64%

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

$36.7K €32.9K

$34.3K Ft 11.3M

7.03%

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

$227 €203

$160 Ft 52.4K

41.82%

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

$11.59 €10.38

$25.56 Ft 8,380

-54.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.21

$22.47 Ft 7,366

35.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.37

$53.1 Ft 17.4K

-2.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.22

$16.16 Ft 5,295

46.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.50

$8.74 Ft 2,864

21.28%

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

$568 €508

$399 Ft 130.6K

42.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$11.0K Ft 3.6M

4.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €81.1

$87.0 Ft 28.5K

4.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.53

$35.59 Ft 11.7K

8.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$93.8 Ft 30.7K

9.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$97.2 Ft 31.9K

34.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €739

$598 Ft 196.0K

38.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €579

$466 Ft 152.7K

38.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,254

$1,040 Ft 340.8K

34.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €944

$809 Ft 265.1K

30.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,280

$3,668 Ft 1.2M

-0.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,061

$2,683 Ft 879.6K

-14.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,689

$1,290 Ft 422.7K

46.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

7.15

-50.21%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for Hungary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$646 35.1%

Hungary

$466 34.2% 27.9% $180

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

Hungary

$244 17.9% 29.8% $104

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

Hungary

$189 13.9% 32.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

Hungary

$208 15.3% 22.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Hungary

$141 10.4% 13.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

Hungary

$71 5.2% 3.4% $2.5

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

Hungary

$43 3.2% 34.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $1,890 in Italy vs $1,184 in Hungary. 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

🇮🇹 Italy

🇭🇺 Hungary

🕒 Local time

23:51 11:51 PM

Same time as Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

9,599,744

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Hungary 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Italy
Hungary

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

Italy vs Hungary: 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.