Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Romania and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Romania: $1,095 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Jump to prices
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,095
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Romania is 26.7% cheaper than Budapest without rent, and 32.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Romania is 26.1% cheaper than Budapest without rent, and 35.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Romania
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.35 RON 48.95
$13.99 Ft 4,551
-26.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.76 RON 198
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
-30.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.47 RON 35.35
$9.96 Ft 3,241
-25.00%
Cappuccino
$2.84 RON 13.45
$3.38 Ft 1,100
-15.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 RON 9.21
$2.13 Ft 692
-8.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 RON 7.94
$1.87 Ft 608
-10.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.30 RON 10.86
$3.75 Ft 1,221
-38.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.24 RON 15.31
$3.57 Ft 1,162
-9.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Romania
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 RON 6.95
$1.13 Ft 368
30.09%
White Bread (500g)
$1.16 RON 5.49
$1.84 Ft 599
-36.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.59 RON 7.54
$2.39 Ft 777
-33.47%
Eggs
$3.18 RON 15.04
$3.83 Ft 1,245
-16.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.02 RON 37.95
$11.33 Ft 3,686
-29.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.26 RON 29.61
$6.74 Ft 2,192
-7.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.53 RON 49.79
$14.69 Ft 4,780
-28.32%
Apples (1kg)
$1.21 RON 5.73
$1.84 Ft 597
-34.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 RON 7.40
$2.01 Ft 653
-22.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.55 RON 7.35
$2.36 Ft 767
-34.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.20 RON 10.41
$3.77 Ft 1,226
-41.64%
Potato (1kg)
$0.85 RON 4.02
$0.96 Ft 313
-11.46%
Onion (1kg)
$0.82 RON 3.86
$1.03 Ft 334
-20.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.84 RON 3.99
$1.56 Ft 509
-46.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 RON 4.01
$0.66 Ft 216
28.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.10 RON 28.85
$7.96 Ft 2,591
-23.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.21 RON 29.35
$6.01 Ft 1,954
3.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 RON 5.38
$1.30 Ft 421
-12.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 RON 7.69
$2.08 Ft 676
-21.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Romania
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.73 RON 3.45
$1.50 Ft 489
-51.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$23.09 RON 109
$27.61 Ft 8,982
-16.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.76 RON 3.60
$3.30 Ft 1,074
-76.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.76 RON 3.58
$1.30 Ft 424
-41.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.20 RON 34.07
$19.78 Ft 6,436
-63.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.76 RON 8.34
$1.81 Ft 591
-2.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.6K RON 135.4K
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
-2.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K RON 117.6K
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
-27.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Romania
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 RON 764
$170 Ft 55.3K
-4.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.01 RON 37.89
$23.98 Ft 7,802
-66.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.84 RON 41.80
$23.42 Ft 7,621
-62.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Romania
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.05 RON 189
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
-39.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.90 RON 89.4
$19.18 Ft 6,239
-1.46%
Cinema Ticket
$7.29 RON 34.50
$9.52 Ft 3,098
-23.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Romania
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$469 RON 2,216
$537 Ft 174.6K
-12.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,762 RON 41.4K
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
-47.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Romania
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.8 RON 325
$101 Ft 33.0K
-32.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.50 RON 177
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
-12.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.1 RON 379
$113 Ft 36.7K
-28.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.2 RON 398
$119 Ft 38.6K
-29.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Romania
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$462 RON 2,186
$805 Ft 262.0K
-42.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$342 RON 1,615
$629 Ft 204.7K
-45.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$800 RON 3,784
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
-48.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$589 RON 2,786
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
-49.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,451 RON 11.6K
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
-56.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,819 RON 8,605
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
-54.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Romania
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$975 RON 4,611
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
-40.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.98
6.43
8.55%

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

Last update for Romania: 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
Romania
$342
Budapest
$629 84.2% $288
Groceries & Markets
Romania
$204
Budapest
$258 26.2% $54
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Romania
$178
Budapest
$217 21.9% $39
Eating Out
Romania
$172
Budapest
$224 30.5% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Romania
$122
Budapest
$169 38.9% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Romania
$55
Budapest
$85 56.1% $31
Getting Around
Romania
$31
Budapest
$43 42.2% $13
Good to know
🇷🇴 Romania
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
09:17 9:17 AM
08:17 8:17 AM
1 h behind Romania
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
19,053,815
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

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 →
On the map
Between locations
  • Romania Budapest 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Romania
  • 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

Romania vs other spots: cost of living compared

🇷🇴 Romania
$1,095
/mo nomad
🇺🇸 United States
$2,785
/mo nomad
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,095
/mo nomad
🇩🇪 Germany
$2,099
/mo nomad
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,095
/mo nomad
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,457
/mo nomad
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,095
/mo nomad
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,838
/mo nomad
Show more

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