Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nicosia and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,890 in Nicosia, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Nicosia
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Nicosia Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Nicosia

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,890

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,890 per month in Nicosia vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Nicosia $1,890
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,901 per month in Nicosia vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Nicosia $2,901
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,912 per month in Nicosia vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Nicosia $3,912
Budapest $3,489

Nicosia costs about 17% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nicosia and Budapest sit above the global median – Nicosia by 41%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.02 €15.19

$13.99 Ft 4,551

21.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 €60.4

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

12.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 €7.91

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-11.04%

Cappuccino

$3.61 €3.23

$3.38 Ft 1,100

6.80%

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

$2.35 €2.10

$2.13 Ft 692

10.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.78

$1.87 Ft 608

-53.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.38 €3.91

$3.75 Ft 1,221

16.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$3.57 Ft 1,162

52.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.13 Ft 368

61.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.84 Ft 599

9.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.95 €2.63

$2.39 Ft 777

23.43%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.34

$3.83 Ft 1,245

26.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.37 €11.93

$11.33 Ft 3,686

18.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 €8.11

$6.74 Ft 2,192

34.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 €11.68

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-10.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 €3.01

$1.84 Ft 597

83.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.01 Ft 653

5.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.36 Ft 767

8.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 €3.08

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-8.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.96 Ft 313

97.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.03 Ft 334

56.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 €0.88

$1.56 Ft 509

-37.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.66 Ft 216

72.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.12

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-27.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 €6.82

$6.01 Ft 1,954

27.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.30 Ft 421

26.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 €2.51

$2.08 Ft 676

35.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 €2.37

$1.50 Ft 489

77.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.82 €40.00

$27.61 Ft 8,982

62.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.18 €5.51

$3.30 Ft 1,074

87.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.30 Ft 424

46.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.09 €39.35

$19.78 Ft 6,436

122.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.81 Ft 591

-2.76%

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

$32.4K €28.9K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

10.49%

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

$32.8K €29.3K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-3.81%

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

$209 €186

$170 Ft 55.3K

22.96%

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

$20.22 €18.04

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-15.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.19 €29.62

$23.42 Ft 7,621

41.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.3 €65.4

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

10.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 €16.83

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-1.67%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.16

$9.52 Ft 3,098

19.54%

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

$516 €461

$537 Ft 174.6K

-3.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,230 €8,237

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-44.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.6

$101 Ft 33.0K

0.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 €49.71

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

29.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 €88.0

$113 Ft 36.7K

-12.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €103

$119 Ft 38.6K

-2.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 €712

$805 Ft 262.0K

-0.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 €618

$629 Ft 204.7K

9.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 €1,526

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

10.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,193

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

14.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,098 €2,765

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-44.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,297 €2,050

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-42.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,901 €1,697

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

16.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.43

-30.33%

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

Last update for Nicosia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nicosia

$692 37.5%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 9.1% $63

Groceries & Markets

Nicosia

$307 16.6%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 16.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nicosia

$262 14.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 17.2% $45

Eating Out

Nicosia

$252 13.6%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 11% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Nicosia

$167 9.1%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 1.2% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Nicosia

$96 5.2%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 11.2% $11

Getting Around

Nicosia

$71 3.9%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 39% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $798 in Nicosia 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 17% higher in Nicosia, 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 $68.0 in Nicosia versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇾 Nicosia

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:11 8:11 AM

07:11 7:11 AM

1 h behind Nicosia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

310,355 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

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Nicosia Budapest 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Nicosia
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Nicosia vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nicosia is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,835 per month in Nicosia 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 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 62% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $516 per month in Nicosia and $537 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 $1,621, than in Nicosia at $1,890. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nicosia 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, Nicosia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.