Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Izmir and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Izmir: $1,243 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Izmir
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Izmir Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,243

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,243 per month in Izmir vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Izmir $1,243
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,919 per month in Izmir vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Izmir $1,919
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,596 per month in Izmir vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Izmir $2,596
Budapest $3,489

Izmir is about 23% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Izmir sits 7% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.22 ₺503

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-26.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.41 ₺1,794

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-39.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.49 ₺418

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-14.76%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ₺184

$3.38 Ft 1,102

10.36%

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

$1.47 ₺72.6

$2.13 Ft 693

-30.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₺30.76

$1.87 Ft 609

-66.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 ₺169

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-8.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 ₺247

$3.57 Ft 1,163

40.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 ₺53.9

$1.13 Ft 369

-3.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ₺50.1

$1.84 Ft 600

-44.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 ₺117

$2.39 Ft 777

-0.42%

Eggs

$2.56 ₺126

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-33.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 ₺462

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-17.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.16 ₺254

$6.74 Ft 2,194

-23.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.82 ₺1,075

$14.69 Ft 4,784

48.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 ₺102

$1.84 Ft 598

12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 ₺109

$2.01 Ft 654

9.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₺50.3

$2.36 Ft 767

-56.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 ₺72.0

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-61.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 ₺28.96

$0.96 Ft 314

-38.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₺18.12

$1.03 Ft 335

-64.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₺55.3

$1.56 Ft 509

-28.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₺38.46

$0.66 Ft 216

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 ₺108

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-72.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.68 ₺575

$6.01 Ft 1,956

94.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₺98.8

$1.30 Ft 422

53.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 ₺155

$2.08 Ft 677

50.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ₺36.55

$1.50 Ft 490

-50.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.44 ₺2,091

$27.61 Ft 8,991

53.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ₺182

$3.30 Ft 1,075

11.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ₺50.9

$1.30 Ft 424

-20.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 ₺274

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-71.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₺68.7

$1.81 Ft 591

-22.65%

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

$41.8K ₺2.1M

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

42.70%

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

$46.0K ₺2.3M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

34.99%

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

$86.0 ₺4,238

$170 Ft 55.3K

-49.38%

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

$10.76 ₺530

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-55.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.90 ₺783

$23.42 Ft 7,628

-32.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.9 ₺3,146

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-3.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.16 ₺1,733

$19.18 Ft 6,245

83.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.13 ₺400

$9.52 Ft 3,101

-14.60%

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

$693 ₺34.2K

$537 Ft 174.8K

29.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ₺723.8K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-11.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.73 ₺2,302

$101 Ft 33.0K

-53.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.49 ₺1,847

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-12.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 ₺4,486

$113 Ft 36.7K

-19.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.4 ₺4,111

$119 Ft 38.7K

-29.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 ₺29.7K

$805 Ft 262.2K

-25.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 ₺20.9K

$629 Ft 204.9K

-32.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 ₺55.9K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-26.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$785 ₺38.7K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-32.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,492 ₺73.5K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-73.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,035 ₺51.0K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-73.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,145 ₺56.4K

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-29.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

42.33

6.43

558.32%

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

Last update for Izmir: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Izmir

$424 34.6%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 48.5% $205

Groceries & Markets

Izmir

$251 20.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 2.5% $6.4

Eating Out

Izmir

$188 15.3%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 19.5% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Izmir

$116 9.5%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 45.3% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Izmir

$113 9.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 92.9% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Izmir

$80 6.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 6.5% $5.2

Getting Around

Izmir

$54 4.4%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 20% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $603 in Izmir 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 42% 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 $36.00 in Izmir versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $258 – making Izmir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Izmir

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

07:07 7:07 AM

1 h behind Izmir

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,493,242

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Izmir Budapest 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Izmir
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

Izmir vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,864 per month in Izmir 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 Izmir, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Izmir. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $693 per month in Izmir and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Izmir, where all-in costs run around $1,243, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Izmir it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Izmir – 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 Izmir. 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.