Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Balaton and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lake Balaton: $1,103 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Lake Balaton
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Lake Balaton Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lake Balaton

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,103

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lake Balaton and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lake Balaton and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,103 in Lake Balaton versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Lake Balaton $1,103
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,672 in Lake Balaton versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Lake Balaton $1,672
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,241 in Lake Balaton versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Lake Balaton $2,241
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Lake Balaton costs roughly 50% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lake Balaton is 19% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.70 Ft 2,869

$16.65 €14.95

-47.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.14 Ft 15.2K

$61.7 €55.5

-25.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.40 Ft 2,771

$11.36 €10.20

-26.06%

Cappuccino

$2.02 Ft 666

$2.97 €2.67

-31.99%

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

$1.35 Ft 445

$2.29 €2.06

-41.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 Ft 309

$1.74 €1.56

-45.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 Ft 626

$3.40 €3.06

-44.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 Ft 727

$3.31 €2.97

-33.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 Ft 348

$1.16 €1.04

-8.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 Ft 506

$1.91 €1.72

-19.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 Ft 599

$1.51 €1.36

20.53%

Eggs

$2.61 Ft 859

$4.02 €3.61

-35.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 Ft 3,144

$12.94 €11.62

-26.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.96 Ft 1,966

$7.77 €6.98

-23.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.80 Ft 3,889

$17.76 €15.95

-33.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 Ft 592

$2.30 €2.07

-21.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 Ft 647

$1.73 €1.56

13.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 Ft 658

$1.86 €1.67

7.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.82 Ft 928

$2.59 €2.33

8.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 Ft 361

$1.82 €1.64

-39.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 Ft 399

$1.97 €1.77

-38.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 Ft 477

$1.47 €1.32

-1.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Ft 172

$0.72 €0.65

-27.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.74 Ft 2,221

$6.58 €5.91

2.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.94 Ft 1,957

$5.61 €5.04

5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 Ft 339

$1.36 €1.22

-24.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 Ft 480

$2.14 €1.92

-31.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 Ft 386

$2.33 €2.10

-49.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.01 Ft 8,245

$44.68 €40.14

-44.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 Ft 929

$3.85 €3.46

-26.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 Ft 371

$1.07 €0.96

5.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.19 Ft 5,669

$16.46 €14.79

4.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 Ft 581

$2.20 €1.98

-20.00%

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

$26.1K Ft 8.6M

$34.2K €30.7K

-23.61%

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

$30.5K Ft 10.0M

$38.7K €34.8K

-21.35%

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

$144 Ft 47.6K

$161 €145

-10.50%

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

$26.23 Ft 8,647

$18.41 €16.54

42.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.86 Ft 6,549

$32.74 €29.41

-39.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.36 Ft 15.3K

$44.55 €40.02

4.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.56 Ft 5,460

$19.10 €17.16

-13.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.26 Ft 2,395

$9.60 €8.62

-24.38%

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

$295 Ft 97.1K

$668 €600

-55.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,542 Ft 2.2M

$17.6K €15.8K

-62.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 Ft 23.1K

$102 €91.6

-31.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.04 Ft 8,915

$44.46 €39.94

-39.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 Ft 23.6K

$98.5 €88.5

-27.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.2 Ft 26.8K

$124 €111

-34.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 Ft 144.5K

$1,608 €1,445

-72.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$341 Ft 112.6K

$1,190 €1,069

-71.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 Ft 210.8K

$2,812 €2,526

-77.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 Ft 174.3K

$2,013 €1,808

-73.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,968 Ft 978.5K

$7,839 €7,042

-62.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,314 Ft 763.0K

$4,576 €4,110

-49.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.4

3.85

92.21%

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

Last update for Lake Balaton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lake Balaton

$341 30.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 249% $849

Groceries & Markets

Lake Balaton

$218 19.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 25% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lake Balaton

$190 17.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 11.5% $22

Eating Out

Lake Balaton

$142 12.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 70.7% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Lake Balaton

$112 10.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 47.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Lake Balaton

$61 5.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 4.7% $2.9

Getting Around

Lake Balaton

$38 3.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 65.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $438 in Lake Balaton and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46 in Lake Balaton vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $272 per month, with Lake Balaton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Lake Balaton

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

17:47 5:47 PM

1 h behind Lake Balaton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

275,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Lake Balaton Lisbon 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lake Balaton
Lisbon

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

Lake Balaton vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lake Balaton is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 100% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,655 in Lake Balaton and $3,315 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $438 in Lake Balaton versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $295 in Lake Balaton versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,103 in Lake Balaton versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lake Balaton but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Lake Balaton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Lake Balaton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.