Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paphos and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,113 in Paphos, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Paphos
Learn more

Paphos Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Paphos

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$2,113

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,113 per month in Paphos vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Paphos $2,113
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,197 per month in Paphos vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Paphos $3,197
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,282 per month in Paphos vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Paphos $4,282
Budapest $3,489

Paphos costs about 30% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Paphos and Budapest sit above the global median – Paphos by 58%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.14 €15.30

$13.99 Ft 4,551

22.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 €49.87

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-7.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 €7.82

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-11.95%

Cappuccino

$3.52 €3.14

$3.38 Ft 1,100

4.14%

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

$1.94 €1.73

$2.13 Ft 692

-8.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.87 Ft 608

-35.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.14 €3.69

$3.75 Ft 1,221

10.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 €3.58

$3.57 Ft 1,162

12.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.13 Ft 368

71.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.84 Ft 599

-19.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.39 Ft 777

-3.77%

Eggs

$4.98 €4.45

$3.83 Ft 1,245

30.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 €11.81

$11.33 Ft 3,686

16.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.76 €7.81

$6.74 Ft 2,192

29.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.48 €11.13

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-15.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 €2.88

$1.84 Ft 597

75.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.01 Ft 653

-10.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.36 Ft 767

-14.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 €3.24

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-3.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.96 Ft 313

53.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.03 Ft 334

16.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 €0.58

$1.56 Ft 509

-58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.66 Ft 216

51.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.45 €4.87

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-31.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 €6.09

$6.01 Ft 1,954

13.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.30 Ft 421

28.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.08 Ft 676

-3.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.50 Ft 489

48.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.0 €50.9

$27.61 Ft 8,982

106.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.04 €9.86

$3.30 Ft 1,074

234.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 €1.88

$1.30 Ft 424

61.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.40 €19.99

$19.78 Ft 6,436

13.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.81 Ft 591

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

$32.4K €28.9K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

10.36%

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

$32.5K €29.0K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-4.81%

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

$189 €168

$170 Ft 55.3K

10.98%

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

$24.03 €21.45

$23.98 Ft 7,802

0.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.48 €31.66

$23.42 Ft 7,621

51.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.2 €62.6

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

5.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.34 €22.61

$19.18 Ft 6,239

32.12%

Cinema Ticket

$11.14 €9.94

$9.52 Ft 3,098

17.02%

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

$438 €391

$537 Ft 174.6K

-18.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,660 €5,944

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-59.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 €74.4

$101 Ft 33.0K

-17.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.53 €40.63

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

5.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 €82.6

$113 Ft 36.7K

-17.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 €79.1

$119 Ft 38.6K

-25.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 €966

$805 Ft 262.0K

34.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$973 €868

$629 Ft 204.7K

54.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,120 €1,892

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

36.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,912 €1,706

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

63.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 €3,882

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-22.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,551 €2,277

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-35.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,836 €1,638

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

12.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

6.43

-48.52%

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

Last update for Paphos: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paphos

$973 47%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 35.3% $344

Groceries & Markets

Paphos

$285 13.8%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 9.6% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paphos

$248 12%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 12.4% $31

Eating Out

Paphos

$247 11.9%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 9.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Paphos

$140 6.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 21.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Paphos

$92 4.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 7.7% $7.2

Getting Around

Paphos

$87 4.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 50.3% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,082 in Paphos 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 13% higher in Paphos, 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 $56.0 in Paphos versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $285 in Paphos vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇾 Paphos

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

04:23 4:23 AM

1 h behind Paphos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,892

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Paphos Budapest 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Paphos
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

Paphos vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Paphos is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,169 per month in Paphos 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 106% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $438 per month in Paphos 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 Paphos at $2,113. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Paphos 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, Paphos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.