Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santorini and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,113 in Santorini, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Santorini
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Santorini Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Santorini

🇬🇷 Greece

$2,113

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,113 per month in Santorini vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Santorini $2,113
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,080 per month in Santorini vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Santorini $3,080
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,046 per month in Santorini vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Santorini $4,046
Budapest $3,429

Santorini costs about 31% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santorini and Budapest sit above the global median – Santorini by 57%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.66 €23.72

$13.94 Ft 4,503

91.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.6 €77.9

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

43.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.56 €13.84

$10.19 Ft 3,291

52.70%

Cappuccino

$4.64 €4.13

$3.26 Ft 1,055

42.33%

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

$3.71 €3.30

$2.14 Ft 690

73.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.78 Ft 577

-25.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €5.01

$3.71 Ft 1,198

51.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 €6.41

$3.77 Ft 1,217

90.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.15 Ft 371

73.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.79 Ft 578

-21.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 €3.00

$2.49 Ft 804

35.74%

Eggs

$6.54 €5.82

$3.90 Ft 1,261

67.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 €12.68

$11.10 Ft 3,587

28.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.71 €6.86

$6.62 Ft 2,139

16.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.06 €16.07

$14.69 Ft 4,745

22.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$1.83 Ft 591

50.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.05 Ft 661

8.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.37 Ft 765

-31.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 €3.01

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-13.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$0.99 Ft 320

157.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.00 Ft 322

240.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.58 Ft 511

-36.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 €0.53

$0.67 Ft 216

-10.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.53 €5.81

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-17.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 €5.05

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-8.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.27 Ft 411

53.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.03 Ft 654

33.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.52 Ft 490

78.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €26.03

$28.02 Ft 9,053

4.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 €1.95

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-33.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.37 Ft 442

51.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.23 €12.66

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-28.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.82 Ft 589

24.73%

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

$44.6K €39.7K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

49.83%

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

$45.7K €40.6K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

35.05%

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

$305 €271

$171 Ft 55.3K

78.18%

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

$43.85 €39.00

$23.51 Ft 7,596

86.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 €30.18

$23.29 Ft 7,526

45.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.9 €70.2

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

16.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.20 €22.41

$18.89 Ft 6,104

33.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 €5.86

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-29.14%

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

$601 €535

$533 Ft 172.3K

12.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 €59.9

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-32.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 €44.54

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

15.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 €66.8

$110 Ft 35.7K

-31.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$119 Ft 38.4K

-5.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 €1,411

$830 Ft 268.3K

91.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 €674

$622 Ft 200.9K

21.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 €1,155

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-18.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 €920

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-11.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,070 €4,510

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-13.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,313 €2,947

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-14.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,181 €1,050

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-28.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.15

6.45

-35.66%

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

Last update for Santorini: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santorini

$758 35.9%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 17.9% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santorini

$383 18.1%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 43.1% $165

Eating Out

Santorini

$378 17.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 41.1% $155

Groceries & Markets

Santorini

$312 14.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 17.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Santorini

$137 6.5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 22.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Santorini

$92 4.4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 6.5% $5.9

Getting Around

Santorini

$53 2.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 16% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,587 in Santorini 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 40% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Santorini versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Santorini

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

21:09 9:09 PM

20:09 8:09 PM

1 h behind Santorini

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,233

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Santorini Budapest 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Santorini
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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

Santorini vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santorini is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,170 per month in Santorini 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 Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $601 per month in Santorini and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Santorini at $2,113. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santorini it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santorini makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.