Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kefalonia and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kefalonia: $1,551 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Kefalonia
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Kefalonia Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Kefalonia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,551

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,551 per month in Kefalonia vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Kefalonia $1,551
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $2,322 per month in Kefalonia vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Kefalonia $2,322
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $3,092 per month in Kefalonia vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Kefalonia $3,092
Budapest $3,483

Kefalonia is about 5% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Kefalonia and Budapest sit above the global median – Kefalonia by 14%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.80 €13.16

$14.04 Ft 4,536

5.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.73 €34.45

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-36.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 €9.10

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-1.35%

Cappuccino

$3.14 €2.79

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-9.25%

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

$3.44 €3.06

$2.07 Ft 669

66.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.54

$1.77 Ft 572

-65.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.68 €4.16

$3.69 Ft 1,191

26.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.38 €4.79

$3.80 Ft 1,229

41.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.16 Ft 374

33.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.85 Ft 598

-24.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$2.40 Ft 776

7.50%

Eggs

$4.69 €4.17

$3.99 Ft 1,289

17.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.39 €11.91

$11.40 Ft 3,683

17.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 €8.51

$6.87 Ft 2,221

39.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 €12.59

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-2.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.88 Ft 607

15.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.14 Ft 693

-2.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.22

$2.30 Ft 744

-40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-50.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.02 Ft 329

9.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.99 Ft 320

13.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.58 Ft 510

-31.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.70 Ft 225

24.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.26 €4.68

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-34.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.71 €5.97

$6.18 Ft 1,997

8.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 €2.30

$1.24 Ft 401

108.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.06 Ft 666

22.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.59 Ft 513

-13.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.22 €40.23

$27.52 Ft 8,893

64.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.20 €3.73

$3.43 Ft 1,110

22.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.33 Ft 431

-16.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.11 €14.33

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-21.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.93 Ft 624

3.11%

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

$27.6K €24.6K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-5.21%

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

$25.0K €22.2K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-27.99%

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

$277 €246

$175 Ft 56.4K

58.54%

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

$23.48 €20.89

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-0.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.05 €26.73

$23.60 Ft 7,625

27.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 €45.08

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-26.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 €22.15

$19.26 Ft 6,224

29.28%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 €8.14

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-11.25%

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

$427 €380

$535 Ft 172.9K

-20.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,666 €6,819

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-54.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-11.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.31 €35.85

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-6.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 €83.5

$112 Ft 36.1K

-15.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$119 Ft 38.4K

0.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$527 €469

$832 Ft 268.8K

-36.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 €374

$629 Ft 203.3K

-33.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 €972

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-31.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$786 €699

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-34.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,638 €2,347

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-53.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,187 €1,946

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-44.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,095 €974

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

-36.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

6.45

-30.85%

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

Last update for Kefalonia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kefalonia

$420 27.1%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 49.8% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kefalonia

$330 21.3%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 32.9% $109

Groceries & Markets

Kefalonia

$280 18.1%

Budapest

$262 16% 6.5% $18

Eating Out

Kefalonia

$237 15.3%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 4.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Kefalonia

$154 9.9%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 9.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Kefalonia

$69 4.5%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 29.7% $20

Getting Around

Kefalonia

$60 3.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 27.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $527 in Kefalonia versus $832 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 56% 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 $39.00 in Kefalonia versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $280 in Kefalonia vs $262 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Kefalonia

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:12 10:12 PM

21:12 9:12 PM

1 h behind Kefalonia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,404

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Kefalonia Budapest 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kefalonia
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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

Kefalonia vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,326 per month in Kefalonia and $2,461 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 64% less in Kefalonia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $427 per month in Kefalonia and $535 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 Kefalonia, where all-in costs run around $1,551, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Kefalonia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kefalonia – 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 Kefalonia. 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.