Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leova and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Leova: $1,355 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Leova
Learn more

Leova Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Leova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,355

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,355 per month in Leova vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Leova $1,355
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,116 per month in Leova vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Leova $2,116
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,876 per month in Leova vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Leova $2,876
Budapest $3,489

Leova is about 16% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Leova and Budapest sit above the global median – Leova by 1%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.65 MDL 189

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-23.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.19 MDL 606

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-43.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.46 MDL 168

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-5.02%

Cappuccino

$0.86 MDL 15.27

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-74.56%

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

$0.49 MDL 8.77

$2.13 Ft 692

-77.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MDL 6.84

$1.87 Ft 608

-79.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 MDL 46.35

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-30.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 MDL 48.59

$3.57 Ft 1,162

-23.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MDL 30.91

$1.13 Ft 368

53.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 MDL 27.44

$1.84 Ft 599

-15.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 MDL 23.76

$2.39 Ft 777

-43.93%

Eggs

$1.33 MDL 23.59

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-65.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 MDL 247

$11.33 Ft 3,686

22.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.28 MDL 40.39

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-66.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.02 MDL 71.3

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-72.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 MDL 24.17

$1.84 Ft 597

-26.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 MDL 15.60

$2.01 Ft 653

-56.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 MDL 17.38

$2.36 Ft 767

-58.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 MDL 19.68

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-70.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 MDL 26.65

$0.96 Ft 313

56.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 MDL 10.50

$1.03 Ft 334

-42.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 MDL 7.74

$1.56 Ft 509

-71.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 MDL 17.57

$0.66 Ft 216

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.74 MDL 84.0

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-40.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.20 MDL 269

$6.01 Ft 1,954

152.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 MDL 20.50

$1.30 Ft 421

-10.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 MDL 47.88

$2.08 Ft 676

29.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 MDL 7.32

$1.50 Ft 489

-72.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.96 MDL 513

$27.61 Ft 8,982

4.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 MDL 49.37

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-15.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 MDL 9.68

$1.30 Ft 424

-57.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 MDL 59.9

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-82.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MDL 24.34

$1.81 Ft 591

-24.31%

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

$33.7K MDL 596.7K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

14.81%

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

$35.4K MDL 626.7K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

3.69%

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

$189 MDL 3,358

$170 Ft 55.3K

11.49%

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

$5.80 MDL 103

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-75.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.20 MDL 376

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-9.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.8 MDL 1,485

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

26.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.12 MDL 197

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-42.02%

Cinema Ticket

$4.66 MDL 82.6

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-51.05%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.3 MDL 1,512

$101 Ft 33.0K

-15.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MDL 981

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

28.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 MDL 1,735

$113 Ft 36.7K

-13.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MDL 2,038

$119 Ft 38.6K

-3.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 MDL 11.6K

$805 Ft 262.0K

-18.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 MDL 9,651

$629 Ft 204.7K

-13.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 MDL 26.7K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-2.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 MDL 19.5K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-5.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,533 MDL 44.9K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-54.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,920 MDL 34.0K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-51.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 MDL 11.6K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-59.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.19

6.43

11.82%

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

Last update for Leova: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leova

$545 39.3%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 15.5% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leova

$216 15.6%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 0.4% $0.9

Groceries & Markets

Leova

$191 13.8%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 34.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Leova

$159 11.5%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 6.3% $10

Eating Out

Leova

$146 10.5%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 53.7% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Leova

$93 6.7%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 8.4% $7.8

Getting Around

Leova

$36 2.6%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 20.2% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $654 in Leova versus $805 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 149% 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 Leova versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $258 – making Leova the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Leova

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

10:11 10:11 AM

1 h behind Leova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,900

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.64 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17.72 MDL (100 MDL = 5.64 USD). 1 EUR = 19.88 MDL (100 MDL = 5.03 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Leova Budapest 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Leova
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

Leova vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,032 per month in Leova and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Leova, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Leova. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Leova, where all-in costs run around $1,355, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Leova it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Leova – 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 Leova. 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.