Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krakow and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,811 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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

$1,811

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/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 $1,811 per month in Krakow vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Krakow $1,811
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,597 per month in Krakow vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Krakow $2,597
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,383 per month in Krakow vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Krakow $3,383
Budapest $3,489

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

Both Krakow and Budapest sit above the global median – Krakow by 35%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.89 zł 46.46

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-15.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 zł 196

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-16.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 zł 38.92

$9.96 Ft 3,241

Cappuccino

$4.12 zł 16.09

$3.38 Ft 1,100

21.89%

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

$2.57 zł 10.05

$2.13 Ft 692

20.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 zł 9.52

$1.87 Ft 608

30.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 zł 17.88

$3.75 Ft 1,221

21.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 zł 17.84

$3.57 Ft 1,162

27.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 zł 4.13

$1.13 Ft 368

-6.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 zł 5.74

$1.84 Ft 599

-20.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 zł 6.62

$2.39 Ft 777

-29.29%

Eggs

$3.95 zł 15.42

$3.83 Ft 1,245

3.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 zł 36.37

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-17.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 zł 30.29

$6.74 Ft 2,192

14.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.20 zł 51.6

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-10.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 zł 5.23

$1.84 Ft 597

-27.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 zł 6.62

$2.01 Ft 653

-15.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 zł 6.86

$2.36 Ft 767

-25.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 zł 11.95

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-18.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 zł 3.61

$0.96 Ft 313

-4.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 zł 3.83

$1.03 Ft 334

-4.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 zł 4.81

$1.56 Ft 509

-21.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 zł 3.13

$0.66 Ft 216

21.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.22 zł 24.33

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-21.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 zł 24.61

$6.01 Ft 1,954

4.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 zł 4.63

$1.30 Ft 421

-9.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 zł 6.90

$2.08 Ft 676

-14.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 zł 5.86

$1.50 Ft 489

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.54 zł 131

$27.61 Ft 8,982

21.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 zł 8.91

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-30.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 zł 3.88

$1.30 Ft 424

-23.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.22 zł 47.78

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-38.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 zł 6.62

$1.81 Ft 591

-6.63%

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

$30.4K zł 119.0K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

3.83%

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

$28.9K zł 112.9K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-15.30%

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

$333 zł 1,301

$170 Ft 55.3K

95.91%

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

$8.71 zł 34.03

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-63.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.32 zł 67.7

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-26.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.70 zł 179

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-31.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.11 zł 98.2

$19.18 Ft 6,239

30.92%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 zł 33.95

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-8.72%

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

$463 zł 1,808

$537 Ft 174.6K

-13.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,594 zł 37.5K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-42.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.1 zł 387

$101 Ft 33.0K

-2.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.31 zł 158

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-6.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 zł 353

$113 Ft 36.7K

-19.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 zł 464

$119 Ft 38.6K

0.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 zł 3,698

$805 Ft 262.0K

17.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 zł 2,804

$629 Ft 204.7K

14.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 zł 5,629

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-7.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,136 zł 4,439

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-2.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,602 zł 21.9K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-0.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,540 zł 13.8K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-10.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,855 zł 7,250

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

14.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

6.43

2.95%

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

Last update for Krakow: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krakow

$717 39.8%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 12.3% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krakow

$359 19.9%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 39.5% $142

Groceries & Markets

Krakow

$235 13%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 9.8% $23

Eating Out

Krakow

$226 12.6%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 0.9% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Krakow

$157 8.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 7.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Krakow

$63 3.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 35.2% $22

Getting Around

Krakow

$47 2.6%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 7.2% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $946 in Krakow 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 14% 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 $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $258 – making Krakow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Krakow

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

04:13 4:13 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 = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.91 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

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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 groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,717 per month in Krakow 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 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 21% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $463 per month in Krakow and $537 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 $1,621, than in Krakow at $1,811. 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.