Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lugoj and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugoj: $772 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Lugoj
Learn more

Lugoj Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Lugoj

🇷🇴 Romania

$772

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $772 per month in Lugoj vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Lugoj $772
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,207 per month in Lugoj vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Lugoj $1,207
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,642 per month in Lugoj vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Lugoj $1,642
Budapest $3,429

Lugoj is about 52% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lugoj sits 43% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.36 RON 44.29

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-32.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.83 RON 155

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-46.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.24 RON 24.79

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-48.58%

Cappuccino

$1.75 RON 8.29

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-46.32%

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

$1.55 RON 7.32

$2.14 Ft 690

-27.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RON 6.79

$1.78 Ft 577

-19.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 RON 10.14

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-42.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 RON 9.24

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-48.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$1.15 Ft 371

40.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 RON 4.24

$1.79 Ft 578

-49.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 RON 3.06

$2.49 Ft 804

-73.90%

Eggs

$1.26 RON 5.97

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-67.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.29 RON 15.57

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-70.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.94 RON 18.63

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-40.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.20 RON 19.88

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-71.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 RON 5.04

$1.83 Ft 591

-41.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.09

$2.05 Ft 661

-37.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RON 7.84

$2.37 Ft 765

-29.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 RON 3.09

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-83.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 RON 2.92

$0.99 Ft 320

-37.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 RON 3.12

$1.00 Ft 322

-34.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 RON 4.62

$1.58 Ft 511

-37.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.67 Ft 216

-8.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.68 RON 22.15

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-41.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.68

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-33.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.86

$1.27 Ft 411

-2.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 RON 8.06

$2.03 Ft 654

-16.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$1.52 Ft 490

-56.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.60 RON 97.5

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-26.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 RON 3.83

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-75.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 RON 4.29

$1.37 Ft 442

-33.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.57 RON 40.56

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-56.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RON 9.04

$1.82 Ft 589

4.95%

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

$28.1K RON 133.0K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-5.66%

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

$24.8K RON 117.5K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-26.53%

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

$53.3 RON 252

$171 Ft 55.3K

-68.87%

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

$8.65 RON 40.91

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-63.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.58 RON 45.31

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-58.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.93 RON 99.0

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-69.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.75 RON 117

$18.89 Ft 6,104

31.02%

Cinema Ticket

$9.36 RON 44.27

$9.30 Ft 3,004

0.65%

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

$578 RON 2,734

$533 Ft 172.3K

8.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,518 RON 45.0K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-43.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.9 RON 421

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-10.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.93 RON 222

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

7.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 RON 462

$110 Ft 35.7K

-11.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 RON 507

$119 Ft 38.4K

-9.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$182 RON 860

$830 Ft 268.3K

-78.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$211 RON 997

$622 Ft 200.9K

-66.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 RON 1,483

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-80.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$316 RON 1,497

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-72.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,301 RON 6,155

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-77.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,055 RON 4,993

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-72.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$936 RON 4,429

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-43.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

6.45

5.43%

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

Last update for Lugoj: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lugoj

$211 27.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 195% $411

Clothing & Footwear

Lugoj

$153 19.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 9.3% $14

Eating Out

Lugoj

$138 17.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 61.4% $85

Groceries & Markets

Lugoj

$130 16.9%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 98% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lugoj

$72 9.3%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 205% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Lugoj

$40 5.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 117% $46

Getting Around

Lugoj

$29 3.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 54.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $182 in Lugoj 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 76% 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 $33.00 in Lugoj versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $130 vs $258 – making Lugoj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Lugoj

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

20:39 8:39 PM

1 h behind Lugoj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,742

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lugoj Budapest 300 km

From you

Lugoj
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

Lugoj vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 110%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,158 per month in Lugoj 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 Lugoj, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Lugoj. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $578 per month in Lugoj and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lugoj, where all-in costs run around $772, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Lugoj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lugoj – 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 Lugoj. 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.