Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medias and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Medias: $1,082 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Medias
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Medias Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Medias

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,082

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,082 per month in Medias vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Medias $1,082
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,668 per month in Medias vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Medias $1,668
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,254 per month in Medias vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Medias $2,254
Budapest $3,429

Medias is about 33% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.00 RON 52.1

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-21.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.1 RON 251

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-13.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 RON 33.88

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-29.74%

Cappuccino

$3.62 RON 17.12

$3.26 Ft 1,055

11.04%

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

$2.44 RON 11.57

$2.14 Ft 690

14.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 RON 10.14

$1.78 Ft 577

20.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 RON 14.60

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-16.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 RON 15.96

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-10.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 RON 6.05

$1.15 Ft 371

11.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 RON 6.79

$1.79 Ft 578

-19.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.46

$2.49 Ft 804

-28.11%

Eggs

$3.44 RON 16.27

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-11.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.63 RON 40.85

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-22.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.79 RON 32.15

$6.62 Ft 2,139

2.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.40 RON 58.7

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-15.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 RON 7.24

$1.83 Ft 591

-16.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 RON 6.90

$2.05 Ft 661

-28.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 RON 7.45

$2.37 Ft 765

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 RON 12.32

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.91

$0.99 Ft 320

-16.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 RON 4.04

$1.00 Ft 322

-15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.25

$1.58 Ft 511

-43.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RON 3.59

$0.67 Ft 216

13.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.92 RON 28.03

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-25.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 RON 33.86

$6.22 Ft 2,009

15.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 RON 5.56

$1.27 Ft 411

-7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 RON 8.87

$2.03 Ft 654

-7.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.60

$1.52 Ft 490

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.20 RON 100

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-24.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.01

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-80.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 RON 3.12

$1.37 Ft 442

-51.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.70 RON 31.69

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-66.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 RON 6.66

$1.82 Ft 589

-22.53%

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

$28.8K RON 136.5K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-3.18%

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

$25.6K RON 120.9K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-24.41%

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

$177 RON 838

$171 Ft 55.3K

3.52%

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

$7.69 RON 36.39

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-67.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.07 RON 42.92

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-61.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.04 RON 180

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-43.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.64 RON 97.6

$18.89 Ft 6,104

9.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 RON 30.69

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-30.22%

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

$454 RON 2,146

$533 Ft 172.3K

-14.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,061 RON 33.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-57.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 RON 242

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-48.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.26 RON 167

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-18.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 RON 358

$110 Ft 35.7K

-31.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 RON 424

$119 Ft 38.4K

-24.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 RON 1,854

$830 Ft 268.3K

-52.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$281 RON 1,329

$622 Ft 200.9K

-54.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$593 RON 2,806

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-62.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,126

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-61.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,878 RON 8,887

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-67.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,322 RON 6,253

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-66.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.45

11.63%

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

Last update for Medias: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medias

$281 26%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 122% $341

Groceries & Markets

Medias

$222 20.5%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 16.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medias

$194 17.9%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 12.4% $24

Eating Out

Medias

$193 17.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 15.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Medias

$113 10.5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 47.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Medias

$51 4.7%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 68.8% $35

Getting Around

Medias

$28 2.6%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 57% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $392 in Medias 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in Medias versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $258 – making Medias the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Medias

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

1 h behind Medias

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,564

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 →

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Medias
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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

Medias vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,623 per month in Medias 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 Medias, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Medias. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $454 per month in Medias and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medias, where all-in costs run around $1,082, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Medias it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medias – 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 Medias. 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.