Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pleven and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Pleven: $889 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Pleven
Learn more

Pleven Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Pleven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$889

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $889 per month in Pleven vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Pleven $889
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,420 per month in Pleven vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Pleven $1,420
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,950 per month in Pleven vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Pleven $1,950
Budapest $3,429

Pleven is about 45% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Pleven sits 34% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.76 BGN 15.33

$13.94 Ft 4,523

-37.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.08 BGN 52.7

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

-50.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.07 BGN 10.62

$10.19 Ft 3,306

-40.43%

Cappuccino

$2.16 BGN 3.79

$3.26 Ft 1,059

-33.74%

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

$1.30 BGN 2.28

$2.14 Ft 694

-39.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.04

$1.78 Ft 579

-34.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 BGN 3.67

$3.71 Ft 1,204

-43.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 BGN 4.10

$3.77 Ft 1,223

-37.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 BGN 2.85

$1.15 Ft 372

41.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 BGN 1.96

$1.79 Ft 580

-37.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.49 Ft 807

-32.53%

Eggs

$3.43 BGN 6.01

$3.90 Ft 1,266

-12.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 BGN 16.12

$11.10 Ft 3,604

-17.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 BGN 13.87

$6.62 Ft 2,149

19.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 BGN 24.56

$14.69 Ft 4,767

-4.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 BGN 2.15

$1.83 Ft 594

-32.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 BGN 3.55

$2.05 Ft 664

-0.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 BGN 3.69

$2.37 Ft 769

-10.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 BGN 3.97

$3.90 Ft 1,266

-41.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 BGN 2.07

$0.99 Ft 322

19.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 BGN 1.88

$1.00 Ft 323

7.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 BGN 1.85

$1.58 Ft 513

-32.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 BGN 1.22

$0.67 Ft 217

4.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 BGN 6.27

$7.96 Ft 2,584

-55.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 BGN 11.23

$6.22 Ft 2,018

3.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$1.27 Ft 413

-33.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 BGN 1.98

$2.03 Ft 657

-44.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.61

$1.52 Ft 492

-39.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.41 BGN 70.7

$28.02 Ft 9,095

44.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.55 BGN 2.72

$3.31 Ft 1,075

-53.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 BGN 1.50

$1.37 Ft 444

-37.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.14 BGN 21.24

$19.83 Ft 6,436

-38.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 BGN 2.79

$1.82 Ft 591

-12.09%

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

$29.5K BGN 51.6K

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

-1.14%

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

$25.4K BGN 44.5K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-24.75%

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

$98.1 BGN 172

$171 Ft 55.5K

-42.65%

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

$15.91 BGN 27.85

$23.51 Ft 7,631

-32.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.44 BGN 18.28

$23.29 Ft 7,560

-55.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.31 BGN 61.8

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

-47.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.28 BGN 42.48

$18.89 Ft 6,133

28.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 BGN 15.14

$9.30 Ft 3,018

-6.99%

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

$505 BGN 884

$533 Ft 173.1K

-5.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,150 BGN 10.8K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-63.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.76 BGN 71.3

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

-59.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.23 BGN 49.40

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

-35.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 BGN 162

$110 Ft 35.8K

-15.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 BGN 178

$119 Ft 38.6K

-14.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$341 BGN 597

$830 Ft 269.6K

-58.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 BGN 300

$622 Ft 201.9K

-72.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$563 BGN 986

$1,594 Ft 517.2K

-64.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 BGN 577

$1,170 Ft 379.9K

-71.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,450 BGN 2,538

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-75.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,112 BGN 1,946

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-71.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$932 BGN 1,631

$1,651 Ft 535.9K

-43.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.85

6.45

-55.81%

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

Last update for Pleven: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pleven

$233 26.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 10.7% $25

Accommodation & Living

Pleven

$171 19.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 263% $451

Eating Out

Pleven

$139 15.7%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 60.1% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pleven

$124 14%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 75.1% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Pleven

$118 13.3%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 41.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Pleven

$53 5.9%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 63.7% $34

Getting Around

Pleven

$50 5.6%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 11.4% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $341 in Pleven 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 77% 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 $30.00 in Pleven versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $258 – making Pleven the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Pleven

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

18:33 6:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

1 h behind Pleven

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,567

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pleven Budapest 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pleven
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

Pleven vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 82%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,334 per month in Pleven 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 Pleven, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Pleven. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $505 per month in Pleven and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pleven, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Pleven it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pleven – 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 Pleven. 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.