Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samos and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Samos: $1,411 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Samos
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Samos Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Samos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,411

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,411 per month in Samos vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Samos $1,411
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $2,081 per month in Samos vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Samos $2,081
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $2,751 per month in Samos vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Samos $2,751
Budapest $3,483

Samos is about 14% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Samos and Budapest sit above the global median – Samos by 4%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.13 €9.90

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-20.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.72 €35.33

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-34.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 €6.11

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-33.75%

Cappuccino

$3.02 €2.68

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-12.72%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$2.07 Ft 669

14.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$1.77 Ft 572

-50.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.13 €3.67

$3.69 Ft 1,191

11.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 €5.74

$3.80 Ft 1,229

69.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.16 Ft 374

31.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.85 Ft 598

-25.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.40 Ft 776

8.75%

Eggs

$4.56 €4.06

$3.99 Ft 1,289

14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 €11.78

$11.40 Ft 3,683

16.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 €8.59

$6.87 Ft 2,221

40.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 €12.59

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-2.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.88 Ft 607

14.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.14 Ft 693

-6.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.30 Ft 744

-38.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-51.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.02 Ft 329

13.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.99 Ft 320

16.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.58 Ft 510

-31.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.70 Ft 225

21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.37 €4.77

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-33.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.02

$6.18 Ft 1,997

9.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.24 Ft 401

66.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.06 Ft 666

27.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.21

$1.59 Ft 513

-13.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.20 €39.32

$27.52 Ft 8,893

60.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 €3.83

$3.43 Ft 1,110

25.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.33 Ft 431

-18.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.66

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-19.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.93 Ft 624

11.40%

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

$28.1K €25.0K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-3.54%

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

$25.3K €22.5K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-27.23%

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

$207 €184

$175 Ft 56.4K

18.76%

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

$23.54 €20.94

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-0.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.70 €27.31

$23.60 Ft 7,625

30.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 €45.61

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-25.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.38 €22.57

$19.26 Ft 6,224

31.78%

Cinema Ticket

$8.94 €7.96

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-13.29%

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

$429 €382

$535 Ft 172.9K

-19.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,664 €6,817

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-54.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 €80.0

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-9.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 €35.59

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-7.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 €77.1

$112 Ft 36.1K

-22.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$119 Ft 38.4K

2.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 €428

$832 Ft 268.8K

-42.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 €356

$629 Ft 203.3K

-36.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-53.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 €544

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-48.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,683 €2,387

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-53.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,181 €1,940

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-44.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$990 €881

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

-42.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

6.45

-30.85%

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

Last update for Samos: October 18, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samos

$400 28.4%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 57.1% $229

Groceries & Markets

Samos

$276 19.6%

Budapest

$262 16% 5.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samos

$262 18.5%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 15.2% $40

Eating Out

Samos

$192 13.6%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 17.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Samos

$152 10.8%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 10.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Samos

$69 4.9%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 29.4% $20

Getting Around

Samos

$59 4.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 26% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Samos versus $832 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 73% 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 $40.00 in Samos versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $276 in Samos vs $262 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Samos

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

18:01 6:01 PM

1 h behind Samos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,814

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Samos Budapest 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Samos
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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

Samos vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,117 per month in Samos and $2,461 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Samos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $429 per month in Samos and $535 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Samos, where all-in costs run around $1,411, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Samos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Samos – 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 Samos. 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.