Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kretinga and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kretinga: $1,306 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kretinga
🇱🇹 Lithuania
$1,306
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,641
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,306 per month in Kretinga vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Kretinga $1,306
  • Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,945 per month in Kretinga vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Kretinga $1,945
  • Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $2,584 per month in Kretinga vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Kretinga $2,584
  • Budapest $3,483

Kretinga is about 20% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kretinga sits 4% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kretinga
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.47 €11.09
$14.04 Ft 4,536
-11.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.7 €45.11
$60.9 Ft 19.7K
-16.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.69 €5.95
$10.37 Ft 3,351
-35.49%
Cappuccino
$3.20 €2.85
$3.46 Ft 1,117
-7.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 €2.00
$2.07 Ft 669
8.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.90 €1.69
$1.77 Ft 572
7.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.54 €4.93
$3.69 Ft 1,191
50.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.00 €4.45
$3.80 Ft 1,229
31.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kretinga
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 €1.11
$1.16 Ft 374
6.90%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 €1.30
$1.85 Ft 598
-21.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.82 €1.62
$2.40 Ft 776
-24.17%
Eggs
$2.89 €2.57
$3.99 Ft 1,289
-27.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.98 €8.88
$11.40 Ft 3,683
-12.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.78 €5.14
$6.87 Ft 2,221
-15.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.48 €8.43
$14.49 Ft 4,682
-34.58%
Apples (1kg)
$1.69 €1.51
$1.88 Ft 607
-10.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 €1.28
$2.14 Ft 693
-33.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.66 €1.48
$2.30 Ft 744
-27.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.98 €2.65
$4.04 Ft 1,304
-26.24%
Potato (1kg)
$0.72 €0.64
$1.02 Ft 329
-29.41%
Onion (1kg)
$0.85 €0.75
$0.99 Ft 320
-14.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.30
$1.58 Ft 510
-7.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 €0.75
$0.70 Ft 225
20.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.96 €5.30
$8.03 Ft 2,594
-25.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.34 €7.42
$6.18 Ft 1,997
34.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 €1.43
$1.24 Ft 401
29.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 €1.48
$2.06 Ft 666
-19.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Kretinga
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.98 €0.87
$1.59 Ft 513
-38.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.77 €26.48
$27.52 Ft 8,893
8.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.05 €2.71
$3.43 Ft 1,110
-11.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.81 €0.72
$1.33 Ft 431
-39.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.54 €12.05
$20.45 Ft 6,607
-33.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.89 €1.68
$1.93 Ft 624
-2.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.2K €24.2K
$29.1K Ft 9.4M
-6.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.3K €24.3K
$34.7K Ft 11.2M
-21.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kretinga
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$203 €181
$175 Ft 56.4K
16.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.65 €12.14
$23.62 Ft 7,631
-42.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.10 €12.55
$23.60 Ft 7,625
-40.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kretinga
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.31 €34.08
$68.8 Ft 22.2K
-44.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.19 €20.62
$19.26 Ft 6,224
20.40%
Cinema Ticket
$8.90 €7.91
$10.31 Ft 3,333
-13.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kretinga
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 €423
$535 Ft 172.9K
-11.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,312 €8,283
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
-44.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kretinga
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$95.6 €85.1
$99.9 Ft 32.3K
-4.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.89 €37.26
$43.27 Ft 14.0K
-3.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.0 €71.2
$112 Ft 36.1K
-28.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131 €117
$119 Ft 38.4K
10.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kretinga
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$583 €518
$832 Ft 268.8K
-29.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$389 €346
$629 Ft 203.3K
-38.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$778 €692
$1,586 Ft 512.4K
-50.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$590 €524
$1,197 Ft 386.6K
-50.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,787 €2,479
$5,718 Ft 1.8M
-51.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,995 €1,774
$3,947 Ft 1.3M
-49.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kretinga
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,407 €1,251
$1,712 Ft 553.1K
-17.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.99
6.45
-38.14%

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

Last update for Kretinga: October 20, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kretinga
$389
Budapest
$629 61.7% $240
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kretinga
$231
Budapest
$222 4% $9.1
Groceries & Markets
Kretinga
$220
Budapest
$262 19.2% $42
Eating Out
Kretinga
$213
Budapest
$226 6.5% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Kretinga
$157
Budapest
$168 7.1% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Kretinga
$56
Budapest
$89 59.5% $33
Getting Around
Kretinga
$41
Budapest
$44 7.8% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $583 in Kretinga 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 22% 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 $51.0 in Kretinga versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $262 – making Kretinga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇱🇹 Kretinga
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
10:05 10:05 AM
09:05 9:05 AM
1 h behind Kretinga
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
19,010
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kretinga Budapest 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Kretinga
  • 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
Kretinga vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Budapest cheaper than Kretinga?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,959 per month in Kretinga and $2,461 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kretinga, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 8% less in Kretinga. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Kretinga and $535 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Kretinga or in Budapest?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kretinga, where all-in costs run around $1,306, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Kretinga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Kretinga or Budapest more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Kretinga – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Kretinga or Budapest?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Kretinga. 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.

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