Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ploiesti and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Ploiesti: $1,072 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Ploiesti
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Ploiesti Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Ploiesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,072

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,072 per month in Ploiesti vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Ploiesti $1,072
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,631 per month in Ploiesti vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Ploiesti $1,631
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,191 per month in Ploiesti vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Ploiesti $2,191
Budapest $3,489

Ploiesti is about 34% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 RON 54.8

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-17.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.91 RON 217

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-23.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.99 RON 37.79

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-19.78%

Cappuccino

$3.00 RON 14.17

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-11.24%

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

$2.16 RON 10.21

$2.13 Ft 692

1.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 RON 9.96

$1.87 Ft 608

12.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 RON 12.05

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-32.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 RON 15.65

$3.57 Ft 1,162

-7.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 RON 7.76

$1.13 Ft 368

45.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RON 5.34

$1.84 Ft 599

-38.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.00

$2.39 Ft 777

-38.08%

Eggs

$3.18 RON 15.05

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-16.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 RON 37.40

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-30.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.16

$6.74 Ft 2,192

0.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.35 RON 44.25

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-36.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 RON 6.41

$1.84 Ft 597

-26.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 RON 8.17

$2.01 Ft 653

-13.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.78

$2.36 Ft 767

-39.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 RON 9.44

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-46.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.63

$0.96 Ft 313

-19.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.61

$1.03 Ft 334

-26.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 RON 3.07

$1.56 Ft 509

-58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.66 Ft 216

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 RON 28.96

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-23.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.57 RON 31.07

$6.01 Ft 1,954

9.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$1.30 Ft 421

-28.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RON 6.84

$2.08 Ft 676

-30.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.04

$1.50 Ft 489

-43.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.35 RON 101

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-22.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.04

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-80.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$1.30 Ft 424

-49.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.15

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-67.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 RON 8.64

$1.81 Ft 591

1.10%

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

$28.1K RON 132.9K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-4.22%

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

$25.3K RON 119.7K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-25.83%

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

$153 RON 723

$170 Ft 55.3K

-10.06%

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

$6.32 RON 29.88

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-73.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.66 RON 40.95

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-63.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.93 RON 208

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-33.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.72 RON 98.0

$19.18 Ft 6,239

8.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 RON 38.91

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-13.55%

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

$393 RON 1,860

$537 Ft 174.6K

-26.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,729 RON 27.1K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-65.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.3 RON 347

$101 Ft 33.0K

-27.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.28 RON 200

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-1.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 RON 429

$113 Ft 36.7K

-19.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 RON 453

$119 Ft 38.6K

-19.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 RON 1,975

$805 Ft 262.0K

-48.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 RON 1,358

$629 Ft 204.7K

-54.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 RON 2,675

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-63.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 RON 2,170

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-60.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,944 RON 9,194

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-65.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 RON 5,845

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-68.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$972 RON 4,596

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-40.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.85

6.43

22.08%

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

Last update for Ploiesti: 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

Ploiesti

$287 26.8%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 119% $342

Groceries & Markets

Ploiesti

$201 18.8%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 27.9% $56

Eating Out

Ploiesti

$189 17.7%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 18.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ploiesti

$168 15.7%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 29.5% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Ploiesti

$136 12.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 24.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ploiesti

$60 5.6%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 41.2% $25

Getting Around

Ploiesti

$29 2.7%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 51.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $418 in Ploiesti 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 67% 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 $46.00 in Ploiesti versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $201 vs $258 – making Ploiesti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Ploiesti

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

05:12 5:12 AM

1 h behind Ploiesti

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

224,406

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

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 RON in detail →

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Between locations

Ploiesti Budapest 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ploiesti
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

Ploiesti vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,608 per month in Ploiesti 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 Ploiesti, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Ploiesti. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $393 per month in Ploiesti and $537 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 Ploiesti, where all-in costs run around $1,072, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Ploiesti it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ploiesti – 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 Ploiesti. 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.