Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krakow and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $1,815 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Krakow outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
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Krakow Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,815

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,815 per month in Krakow vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Krakow $1,815
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,587 per month in Krakow vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Krakow $2,587
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,359 per month in Krakow vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Krakow $3,359
Budapest $3,429

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

Both Krakow and Budapest sit above the global median – Krakow by 34%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.83 zł 45.95

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-15.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 zł 196

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-17.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.81 zł 38.12

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-3.73%

Cappuccino

$4.22 zł 16.40

$3.26 Ft 1,055

29.45%

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

$2.59 zł 10.06

$2.14 Ft 690

21.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 zł 9.12

$1.78 Ft 577

32.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.63 zł 17.98

$3.71 Ft 1,198

24.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.72 zł 18.32

$3.77 Ft 1,217

25.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 zł 4.14

$1.15 Ft 371

-6.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 zł 5.84

$1.79 Ft 578

-16.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 zł 6.83

$2.49 Ft 804

-29.32%

Eggs

$3.90 zł 15.13

$3.90 Ft 1,261

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.40 zł 36.53

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-15.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 zł 30.57

$6.62 Ft 2,139

18.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 zł 52.1

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-8.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 zł 5.20

$1.83 Ft 591

-26.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 zł 6.56

$2.05 Ft 661

-17.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 zł 6.98

$2.37 Ft 765

-24.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 zł 11.93

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-21.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 zł 3.40

$0.99 Ft 320

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 zł 3.98

$1.00 Ft 322

2.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 zł 4.70

$1.58 Ft 511

-23.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 zł 3.12

$0.67 Ft 216

19.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 zł 24.24

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-21.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 zł 24.86

$6.22 Ft 2,009

2.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 zł 4.70

$1.27 Ft 411

-4.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 zł 6.49

$2.03 Ft 654

-17.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 zł 6.10

$1.52 Ft 490

3.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.06 zł 128

$28.02 Ft 9,053

17.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 zł 8.63

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-32.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 zł 3.91

$1.37 Ft 442

-26.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.48 zł 48.51

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-37.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 zł 6.49

$1.82 Ft 589

-8.24%

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

$30.7K zł 119.3K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

3.06%

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

$28.6K zł 111.2K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-15.34%

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

$325 zł 1,261

$171 Ft 55.3K

89.67%

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

$8.70 zł 33.80

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-62.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.84 zł 69.3

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-23.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 zł 175

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-33.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.28 zł 94.3

$18.89 Ft 6,104

28.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.57 zł 33.29

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-7.85%

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

$463 zł 1,799

$533 Ft 172.3K

-13.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,760 zł 37.9K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-41.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.7 zł 376

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-2.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.10 zł 156

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-7.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 zł 346

$110 Ft 35.7K

-19.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 zł 473

$119 Ft 38.4K

2.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$937 zł 3,642

$830 Ft 268.3K

12.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 zł 2,854

$622 Ft 200.9K

18.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 zł 5,738

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-7.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 zł 4,456

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-2.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,395 zł 21.0K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-7.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,529 zł 13.7K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-9.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,894 zł 7,360

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

14.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

6.45

2.64%

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

Last update for Krakow: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krakow

$735 40.5%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 15.3% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krakow

$351 19.4%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 37.9% $133

Groceries & Markets

Krakow

$237 13.1%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 8.9% $21

Eating Out

Krakow

$227 12.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 1.8% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Krakow

$156 8.6%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 7.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Krakow

$62 3.4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 38.3% $24

Getting Around

Krakow

$47 2.6%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 5% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $937 in Krakow 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.

Salaries run about 15% higher in Krakow, 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 $50.0 in Krakow versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $258 – making Krakow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Krakow

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

Same time as Krakow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

806,201

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

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Krakow Budapest 290 km

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Krakow
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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

Krakow vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,722 per month in Krakow 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 18% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $463 per month in Krakow 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 Krakow at $1,815. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Krakow 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, Krakow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.