Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuressaare and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuressaare: $1,493 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Kuressaare
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Kuressaare Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Kuressaare

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,493

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,493 per month in Kuressaare vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Kuressaare $1,493
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,215 per month in Kuressaare vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Kuressaare $2,215
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,937 per month in Kuressaare vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Kuressaare $2,937
Budapest $3,429

Kuressaare is about 8% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Kuressaare and Budapest sit above the global median – Kuressaare by 11%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.17 €11.71

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-5.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.6

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

11.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 €8.14

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-10.21%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.58

$3.26 Ft 1,055

23.31%

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

$3.42 €3.04

$2.14 Ft 690

59.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.54

$1.78 Ft 577

60.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.45 €5.74

$3.71 Ft 1,198

73.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.08

$3.77 Ft 1,217

51.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.15 Ft 371

1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.79 Ft 578

6.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.49 Ft 804

-4.82%

Eggs

$2.94 €2.61

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-24.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 €11.08

$11.10 Ft 3,587

12.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.75 €7.78

$6.62 Ft 2,139

32.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 €13.06

$14.69 Ft 4,745

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.83 Ft 591

-3.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.05 Ft 661

-26.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.37 Ft 765

1.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 €2.62

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-24.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.99 Ft 320

5.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 €0.80

$1.00 Ft 322

-10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.58 Ft 511

18.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.67 Ft 216

76.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.07

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-14.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.33 €9.19

$6.22 Ft 2,009

66.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.27 Ft 411

48.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.03 Ft 654

11.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.52 Ft 490

43.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.78 €24.71

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-0.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 €3.10

$3.31 Ft 1,070

5.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.37 Ft 442

-27.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.97 €23.99

$19.83 Ft 6,406

36.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.82 Ft 589

9.89%

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

$27.4K €24.4K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-8.05%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-11.10%

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

$309 €275

$171 Ft 55.3K

80.79%

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

$11.30 €10.05

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-51.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.24

$23.29 Ft 7,526

50.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.03 €30.27

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-49.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$11.74 €10.45

$9.30 Ft 3,004

26.24%

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

$438 €389

$533 Ft 172.3K

-17.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-30.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.9

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

11.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.47 €43.12

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

11.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$110 Ft 35.7K

-5.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €107

$119 Ft 38.4K

1.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 €450

$830 Ft 268.3K

-39.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 €295

$622 Ft 200.9K

-46.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 €594

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-58.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 €446

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-57.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,122 €3,666

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-29.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,475 €2,202

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-36.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,293 €1,150

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-21.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

6.45

-39.07%

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

Last update for Kuressaare: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuressaare

$356 23.8%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 38.7% $138

Accommodation & Living

Kuressaare

$332 22.2%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 87.5% $290

Groceries & Markets

Kuressaare

$281 18.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 8.1% $23

Eating Out

Kuressaare

$250 16.7%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 10.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Kuressaare

$173 11.6%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 3.1% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Kuressaare

$58 3.9%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 49.7% $29

Getting Around

Kuressaare

$45 3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 1.6% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $505 in Kuressaare 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 28% 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 $68.0 in Kuressaare versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Kuressaare

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:59 8:59 AM

07:59 7:59 AM

1 h behind Kuressaare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,170

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Kuressaare Budapest 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuressaare
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

Kuressaare vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,240 per month in Kuressaare 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 Kuressaare, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 1% less in Kuressaare. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $438 per month in Kuressaare and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kuressaare, where all-in costs run around $1,493, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kuressaare it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kuressaare – 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 Kuressaare. 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.