Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Onesti and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Onesti: $1,060 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Onesti
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Onesti Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Onesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,060

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,060 per month in Onesti vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Onesti $1,060
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,597 per month in Onesti vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Onesti $1,597
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,135 per month in Onesti vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Onesti $2,135
Budapest $3,429

Onesti is about 35% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Onesti sits 21% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.61 RON 50.2

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-23.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.76 RON 202

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-30.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.14 RON 33.78

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-29.93%

Cappuccino

$2.89 RON 13.67

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-11.35%

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

$2.20 RON 10.41

$2.14 Ft 690

2.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 RON 8.36

$1.78 Ft 577

-0.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 RON 15.19

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-13.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 RON 17.56

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-1.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 RON 4.92

$1.15 Ft 371

-9.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 RON 6.46

$1.79 Ft 578

-24.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 RON 9.73

$2.49 Ft 804

-17.27%

Eggs

$2.98 RON 14.10

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-23.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.23 RON 34.19

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-34.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.50 RON 30.74

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-1.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.94 RON 47.03

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-32.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 RON 4.89

$1.83 Ft 591

-43.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.86

$2.05 Ft 661

-29.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 RON 7.55

$2.37 Ft 765

-32.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 RON 9.85

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-46.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 RON 3.99

$0.99 Ft 320

-15.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 RON 4.22

$1.00 Ft 322

-11.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 RON 5.51

$1.58 Ft 511

-26.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 RON 2.90

$0.67 Ft 216

-8.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.40 RON 30.29

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-19.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 RON 24.69

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-16.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 RON 6.48

$1.27 Ft 411

7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 RON 9.60

$2.03 Ft 654

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 RON 3.64

$1.52 Ft 490

-49.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.59 RON 102

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-22.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 RON 4.12

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-73.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$1.37 Ft 442

-41.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 RON 38.79

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-58.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 RON 6.82

$1.82 Ft 589

-20.88%

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

$29.2K RON 137.9K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-2.17%

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

$27.8K RON 131.4K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-17.84%

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

$184 RON 870

$171 Ft 55.3K

7.49%

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

$7.27 RON 34.40

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-69.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.67 RON 41.02

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-62.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.79 RON 179

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-44.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.49 RON 96.9

$18.89 Ft 6,104

8.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 40.59

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-7.74%

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

$420 RON 1,987

$533 Ft 172.3K

-21.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,932 RON 32.8K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-58.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.31 RON 181

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-61.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 RON 187

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-8.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 RON 435

$110 Ft 35.7K

-16.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.9 RON 425

$119 Ft 38.4K

-24.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 RON 1,784

$830 Ft 268.3K

-54.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 RON 1,333

$622 Ft 200.9K

-54.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$587 RON 2,778

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-63.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 RON 2,106

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-61.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,876 RON 8,875

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-67.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,367 RON 6,466

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-64.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$618 RON 2,925

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-62.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

6.45

11.32%

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

Last update for Onesti: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Onesti

$282 26.6%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 121% $340

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Onesti

$200 18.9%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 9% $18

Groceries & Markets

Onesti

$197 18.5%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 31.3% $61

Eating Out

Onesti

$180 17%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 23.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Onesti

$117 11%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 43.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Onesti

$55 5.2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 56.7% $31

Getting Around

Onesti

$30 2.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 49.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $377 in Onesti 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 167% 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 $43.00 in Onesti versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $258 – making Onesti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Onesti

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

20:39 8:39 PM

1 h behind Onesti

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

57,333

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

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Between locations

Onesti Budapest 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Onesti
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

Onesti vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,590 per month in Onesti 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 Onesti, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Onesti. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $420 per month in Onesti and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Onesti, where all-in costs run around $1,060, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Onesti it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Onesti – 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 Onesti. 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.