Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pecs and Lake Balaton

For one person, living is cheaper in Lake Balaton: $1,103 a month against $1,372 in Pecs, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Pecs
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Pecs Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Lake Balaton
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Lake Balaton Living Index

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Pecs

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,372

/mo nomad

Lake Balaton

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,103

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pecs and in Lake Balaton

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pecs and in Lake Balaton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,372 in Pecs versus $1,103 in Lake Balaton.

Pecs $1,372
Lake Balaton $1,103

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,140 in Pecs versus $1,672 in Lake Balaton.

Pecs $2,140
Lake Balaton $1,672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,907 in Pecs versus $2,241 in Lake Balaton.

Pecs $2,907
Lake Balaton $2,241

Living in Pecs is roughly 24% more expensive than in Lake Balaton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.24 Ft 3,707

$8.70 Ft 2,869

29.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 Ft 20.4K

$46.14 Ft 15.2K

33.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 Ft 2,949

$8.40 Ft 2,771

6.43%

Cappuccino

$2.48 Ft 818

$2.02 Ft 666

22.77%

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

$1.29 Ft 426

$1.35 Ft 445

-4.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 423

$0.94 Ft 309

36.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 Ft 570

$1.90 Ft 626

-8.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 Ft 744

$2.21 Ft 727

2.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 Ft 389

$1.06 Ft 348

11.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 Ft 536

$1.54 Ft 506

5.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 Ft 784

$1.82 Ft 599

30.77%

Eggs

$3.21 Ft 1,058

$2.61 Ft 859

22.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 Ft 3,323

$9.54 Ft 3,144

5.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 Ft 2,235

$5.96 Ft 1,966

13.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.27 Ft 5,363

$11.80 Ft 3,889

37.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 Ft 774

$1.80 Ft 592

30.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 Ft 732

$1.96 Ft 647

13.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 Ft 833

$2.00 Ft 658

26.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,315

$2.82 Ft 928

41.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 Ft 357

$1.10 Ft 361

-1.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 Ft 457

$1.21 Ft 399

14.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 Ft 615

$1.45 Ft 477

28.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 Ft 192

$0.52 Ft 172

11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.97 Ft 2,957

$6.74 Ft 2,221

33.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.60 Ft 1,518

$5.94 Ft 1,957

-22.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 Ft 449

$1.03 Ft 339

32.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 Ft 860

$1.46 Ft 480

78.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 512

$1.17 Ft 386

32.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.23 Ft 7,659

$25.01 Ft 8,245

-7.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$2.82 Ft 929

17.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 Ft 473

$1.13 Ft 371

27.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.43 Ft 8,055

$17.19 Ft 5,669

42.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 Ft 588

$1.76 Ft 581

1.14%

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

$27.5K Ft 9.1M

$26.1K Ft 8.6M

5.46%

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

$35.9K Ft 11.8M

$30.5K Ft 10.0M

17.74%

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

$168 Ft 55.3K

$144 Ft 47.6K

16.25%

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

$20.86 Ft 6,876

$26.23 Ft 8,647

-20.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 Ft 6,901

$19.86 Ft 6,549

5.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 Ft 16.6K

$46.36 Ft 15.3K

8.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.59 Ft 6,128

$16.56 Ft 5,460

12.26%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 Ft 2,827

$7.26 Ft 2,395

18.18%

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

$420 Ft 138.4K

$295 Ft 97.1K

42.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,652 Ft 2.5M

$6,542 Ft 2.2M

16.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.3 Ft 32.7K

$70.1 Ft 23.1K

41.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 Ft 16.8K

$27.04 Ft 8,915

88.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 Ft 32.0K

$71.5 Ft 23.6K

35.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 Ft 36.2K

$81.2 Ft 26.8K

35.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$635 Ft 209.3K

$438 Ft 144.5K

44.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 Ft 153.1K

$341 Ft 112.6K

36.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 Ft 373.7K

$639 Ft 210.8K

77.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 Ft 267.7K

$529 Ft 174.3K

53.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,152 Ft 1.0M

$2,968 Ft 978.5K

6.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,595 Ft 855.6K

$2,314 Ft 763.0K

12.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,079 Ft 355.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.4

8.11%

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

Last update for Pecs: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lake Balaton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pecs

$464 33.8%

Lake Balaton

$341 30.9% 26.5% $123

Groceries & Markets

Pecs

$260 19%

Lake Balaton

$218 19.8% 16.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pecs

$210 15.3%

Lake Balaton

$190 17.3% 9.1% $19

Eating Out

Pecs

$170 12.4%

Lake Balaton

$142 12.9% 16.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Pecs

$161 11.7%

Lake Balaton

$112 10.2% 30% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Pecs

$68 4.9%

Lake Balaton

$61 5.5% 9.8% $6.6

Getting Around

Pecs

$40 2.9%

Lake Balaton

$38 3.5% 4.5% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $635 in Pecs and $438 in Lake Balaton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Pecs vs $46 in Lake Balaton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $218 per month, with Lake Balaton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Pecs

🇭🇺 Lake Balaton

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

Same time as Pecs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,330

275,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Pecs Lake Balaton 96 km

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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

Pecs vs Lake Balaton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lake Balaton is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,058 in Pecs and $1,655 in Lake Balaton to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $635 in Pecs versus $438 in Lake Balaton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $420 in Pecs versus $295 in Lake Balaton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Pecs. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.