Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Balaton and Pecs

For one person, living is cheaper in Lake Balaton: $1,103 a month against $1,372 in Pecs, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Lake Balaton
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Lake Balaton Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Pecs
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Pecs Living Index

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Lake Balaton

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,103

/mo nomad

Pecs

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Pecs actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,103 in Lake Balaton versus $1,372 in Pecs.

Lake Balaton $1,103
Pecs $1,372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,672 in Lake Balaton versus $2,140 in Pecs.

Lake Balaton $1,672
Pecs $2,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,241 in Lake Balaton versus $2,907 in Pecs.

Lake Balaton $2,241
Pecs $2,907

Living in Lake Balaton costs roughly 20% less than in Pecs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.70 Ft 2,866

$11.24 Ft 3,704

-22.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.14 Ft 15.2K

$61.8 Ft 20.3K

-25.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.40 Ft 2,768

$8.94 Ft 2,946

-6.04%

Cappuccino

$2.02 Ft 666

$2.48 Ft 818

-18.55%

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

$1.35 Ft 445

$1.29 Ft 425

4.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 Ft 309

$1.28 Ft 422

-26.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 Ft 626

$1.73 Ft 569

9.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 Ft 726

$2.26 Ft 744

-2.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 Ft 348

$1.18 Ft 389

-10.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 Ft 506

$1.63 Ft 536

-5.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 Ft 598

$2.38 Ft 784

-23.53%

Eggs

$2.61 Ft 858

$3.21 Ft 1,057

-18.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 Ft 3,141

$10.08 Ft 3,320

-5.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.96 Ft 1,964

$6.78 Ft 2,233

-12.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.80 Ft 3,886

$16.27 Ft 5,358

-27.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 Ft 591

$2.35 Ft 773

-23.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 Ft 647

$2.22 Ft 731

-11.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 Ft 658

$2.53 Ft 832

-20.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.82 Ft 928

$3.99 Ft 1,314

-29.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 Ft 361

$1.08 Ft 357

1.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 Ft 399

$1.39 Ft 457

-12.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 Ft 477

$1.87 Ft 614

-22.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Ft 172

$0.58 Ft 192

-10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.74 Ft 2,219

$8.97 Ft 2,954

-24.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.94 Ft 1,955

$4.60 Ft 1,516

29.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 Ft 339

$1.36 Ft 448

-24.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 Ft 480

$2.61 Ft 859

-44.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 Ft 386

$1.55 Ft 512

-24.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.01 Ft 8,237

$23.23 Ft 7,652

7.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 Ft 928

$3.30 Ft 1,087

-14.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 Ft 371

$1.44 Ft 473

-21.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.19 Ft 5,663

$24.43 Ft 8,048

-29.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 Ft 580

$1.78 Ft 587

-1.12%

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

$26.1K Ft 8.6M

$27.5K Ft 9.1M

-5.18%

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

$30.5K Ft 10.0M

$35.9K Ft 11.8M

-15.07%

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

$144 Ft 47.5K

$168 Ft 55.2K

-13.97%

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

$26.23 Ft 8,639

$20.86 Ft 6,870

25.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.86 Ft 6,543

$20.93 Ft 6,894

-5.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.36 Ft 15.3K

$50.4 Ft 16.6K

-7.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.56 Ft 5,455

$18.59 Ft 6,123

-10.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.26 Ft 2,393

$8.58 Ft 2,825

-15.38%

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

$295 Ft 97.0K

$420 Ft 138.3K

-29.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,542 Ft 2.2M

$7,652 Ft 2.5M

-14.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 Ft 23.1K

$99.3 Ft 32.7K

-29.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.04 Ft 8,907

$51.0 Ft 16.8K

-47.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 Ft 23.5K

$96.9 Ft 31.9K

-26.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.2 Ft 26.8K

$110 Ft 36.1K

-25.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 Ft 144.3K

$635 Ft 209.1K

-30.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$341 Ft 112.5K

$464 Ft 153.0K

-26.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 Ft 210.6K

$1,133 Ft 373.3K

-43.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 Ft 174.1K

$812 Ft 267.5K

-34.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,968 Ft 977.7K

$3,152 Ft 1.0M

-5.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,314 Ft 762.3K

$2,595 Ft 854.8K

-10.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,079 Ft 355.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.4

-7.50%

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

Last update for Lake Balaton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pecs: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lake Balaton

$341 30.9%

Pecs

$464 33.8% 36% $123

Groceries & Markets

Lake Balaton

$218 19.8%

Pecs

$260 19% 19.4% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lake Balaton

$190 17.3%

Pecs

$210 15.3% 10% $19

Eating Out

Lake Balaton

$142 12.9%

Pecs

$170 12.4% 19.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Lake Balaton

$112 10.2%

Pecs

$161 11.7% 42.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Lake Balaton

$61 5.5%

Pecs

$68 4.9% 10.9% $6.6

Getting Around

Lake Balaton

$38 3.5%

Pecs

$40 2.9% 4.7% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $438 in Lake Balaton and $635 in Pecs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46 in Lake Balaton vs $62 in Pecs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $260 per month, with Lake Balaton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Lake Balaton

🇭🇺 Pecs

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

Same time as Lake Balaton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

275,000

140,330

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lake Balaton Pecs 96 km

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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 Pecs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lake Balaton is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and eating out. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,655 in Lake Balaton and $2,058 in Pecs 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 $635 in Pecs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $295 in Lake Balaton versus $420 in Pecs. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Pecs. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.