Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mikkeli and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $1,779 in Mikkeli, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Mikkeli despite lower rent and utilities.

88

Cost of Living Index in Mikkeli
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Mikkeli Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Mikkeli

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,779

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,779 per month in Mikkeli vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Mikkeli $1,779
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,726 per month in Mikkeli vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Mikkeli $2,726
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,673 per month in Mikkeli vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Mikkeli $3,673
Budapest $3,429

Mikkeli costs about 10% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mikkeli and Budapest sit above the global median – Mikkeli by 32%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.37 €14.56

$13.94 Ft 4,503

17.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.0 €78.3

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

43.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.50 €10.23

$10.19 Ft 3,291

12.86%

Cappuccino

$2.84 €2.53

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-12.88%

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

$2.15 €1.91

$2.14 Ft 690

0.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.78 Ft 577

12.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 €7.04

$3.71 Ft 1,198

113.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.17 €8.16

$3.77 Ft 1,217

143.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.15 Ft 371

13.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 €2.35

$1.79 Ft 578

47.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.49 Ft 804

-0.80%

Eggs

$3.28 €2.92

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-15.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 €8.10

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-18.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.26 €12.68

$6.62 Ft 2,139

115.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.73 €19.33

$14.69 Ft 4,745

47.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.83 Ft 591

24.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.05 Ft 661

-1.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.37 Ft 765

4.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 €3.53

$3.90 Ft 1,260

1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 €1.11

$0.99 Ft 320

25.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.00 Ft 322

86.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.58 Ft 511

84.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.81

$0.67 Ft 216

204.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.98 €11.55

$7.96 Ft 2,572

63.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.77 €14.03

$6.22 Ft 2,009

153.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 €2.72

$1.27 Ft 411

140.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 €2.87

$2.03 Ft 654

59.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 €2.93

$1.52 Ft 490

116.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.2 €57.1

$28.02 Ft 9,053

129.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.31 €3.83

$3.31 Ft 1,070

30.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.37 Ft 442

-3.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$67.1 €59.7

$19.83 Ft 6,406

238.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.82 Ft 589

17.58%

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

$36.6K €32.6K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

22.90%

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

$36.9K €32.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

9.06%

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

$130 €115

$171 Ft 55.3K

-24.25%

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

$24.39 €21.70

$23.51 Ft 7,596

3.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.22 €21.54

$23.29 Ft 7,526

3.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 €35.96

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-40.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.60 €20.99

$18.89 Ft 6,104

24.93%

Cinema Ticket

$17.72 €15.76

$9.30 Ft 3,004

90.54%

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

$323 €287

$533 Ft 172.3K

-39.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-24.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.6 €85.0

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-4.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.46 €43.11

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

11.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.3

$110 Ft 35.7K

-7.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 €137

$119 Ft 38.4K

29.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 €647

$830 Ft 268.3K

-12.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 €539

$622 Ft 200.9K

-2.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,124 €1,000

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-29.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$871 €774

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-25.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,101 €3,648

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-29.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,319 €2,063

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-40.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.51

6.45

-45.58%

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

Last update for Mikkeli: 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

Mikkeli

$606 34.1%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 2.6% $16

Groceries & Markets

Mikkeli

$376 21.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 31.4% $118

Eating Out

Mikkeli

$274 15.4%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 18.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Mikkeli

$180 10.1%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 6.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mikkeli

$178 10%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 22.3% $40

Getting Around

Mikkeli

$88 5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 49.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Mikkeli

$76 4.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 13.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $727 in Mikkeli 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 $88.0 in Mikkeli versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $376 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Mikkeli

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

08:06 8:06 AM

1 h behind Mikkeli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,916

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Mikkeli Budapest 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mikkeli
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

Mikkeli vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mikkeli is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,668 per month in Mikkeli 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 Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 129% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $323 per month in Mikkeli and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Mikkeli at $1,779. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mikkeli it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mikkeli makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.