Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyustendil and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyustendil: $796 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Kyustendil
Learn more

Kyustendil Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Kyustendil

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$796

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $796 per month in Kyustendil vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Kyustendil $796
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,225 per month in Kyustendil vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Kyustendil $1,225
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,653 per month in Kyustendil vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Kyustendil $1,653
Budapest $3,429

Kyustendil is about 51% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kyustendil sits 41% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.21 BGN 17.76

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-26.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.94 BGN 59.1

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-44.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.18 BGN 9.01

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-49.17%

Cappuccino

$1.42 BGN 2.47

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-56.44%

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

$1.11 BGN 1.93

$2.14 Ft 690

-48.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 BGN 1.14

$1.78 Ft 577

-62.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-69.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 BGN 2.51

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-61.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 BGN 2.80

$1.15 Ft 371

40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 BGN 1.23

$1.79 Ft 578

-60.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 BGN 2.60

$2.49 Ft 804

-39.76%

Eggs

$2.31 BGN 4.02

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-40.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.85 BGN 11.92

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-38.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.93 BGN 6.83

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-40.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.44 BGN 12.95

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-49.35%

Apples (1kg)

$0.72 BGN 1.25

$1.83 Ft 591

-60.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$2.05 Ft 661

-18.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 BGN 1.93

$2.37 Ft 765

-53.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 BGN 2.75

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-59.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 BGN 1.06

$0.99 Ft 320

-38.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$1.00 Ft 322

-45.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 BGN 0.97

$1.58 Ft 511

-64.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 BGN 1.08

$0.67 Ft 216

-7.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.47 BGN 6.03

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-56.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.07 BGN 7.08

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-34.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 BGN 1.42

$1.27 Ft 411

-35.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$2.03 Ft 654

-67.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 BGN 1.57

$1.52 Ft 490

-40.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.57 BGN 42.76

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-12.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 BGN 2.23

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-61.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 BGN 1.14

$1.37 Ft 442

-51.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.21 BGN 19.50

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-43.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 BGN 2.80

$1.82 Ft 589

-11.54%

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

$14.2K BGN 24.7K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-52.27%

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

$13.3K BGN 23.1K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-60.66%

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

$92.8 BGN 162

$171 Ft 55.3K

-45.75%

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

$14.89 BGN 25.91

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-36.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.09 BGN 21.03

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-48.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.34 BGN 52.8

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-55.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.35 BGN 30.19

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-8.15%

Cinema Ticket

$3.98 BGN 6.92

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-57.20%

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

$114 BGN 198

$533 Ft 172.3K

-78.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,325 BGN 4,045

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-86.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.00 BGN 52.2

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-69.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.59 BGN 34.08

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-54.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 BGN 106

$110 Ft 35.7K

-44.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.29 BGN 78.8

$119 Ft 38.4K

-61.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 BGN 585

$830 Ft 268.3K

-59.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$252 BGN 439

$622 Ft 200.9K

-59.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$554 BGN 963

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-65.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 BGN 700

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-65.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,315 BGN 2,287

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-77.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,054 BGN 1,833

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-72.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 BGN 1,125

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-60.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

6.45

-53.64%

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

Last update for Kyustendil: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kyustendil

$252 31.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 147% $370

Groceries & Markets

Kyustendil

$153 19.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 68.4% $105

Eating Out

Kyustendil

$130 16.3%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 71.6% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kyustendil

$120 15.1%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 81.9% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Kyustendil

$70 8.8%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 139% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Kyustendil

$38 4.8%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 125% $48

Getting Around

Kyustendil

$33 4.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 35.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $336 in Kyustendil 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 155% 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 $34.00 in Kyustendil versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $153 vs $258 – making Kyustendil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Kyustendil

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

05:15 5:15 AM

1 h behind Kyustendil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,640

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 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 BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kyustendil Budapest 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kyustendil
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

Kyustendil vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 103%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,194 per month in Kyustendil 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 Kyustendil, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 14% less in Kyustendil. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $114 per month in Kyustendil and $533 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 Kyustendil, where all-in costs run around $796, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kyustendil it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kyustendil – 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 Kyustendil. 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.