Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Satu Mare and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Satu Mare: $922 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Satu Mare
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Satu Mare Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Satu Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$922

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $922 per month in Satu Mare vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Satu Mare $922
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,392 per month in Satu Mare vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Satu Mare $1,392
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,862 per month in Satu Mare vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Satu Mare $1,862
Budapest $3,429

Satu Mare is about 43% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Satu Mare sits 32% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 RON 39.26

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-40.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.02 RON 152

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-47.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.23 RON 29.50

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-38.86%

Cappuccino

$2.48 RON 11.73

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-23.93%

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

$1.49 RON 7.07

$2.14 Ft 690

-30.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 RON 6.14

$1.78 Ft 577

-26.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 RON 8.98

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-48.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 RON 11.65

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-34.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 RON 5.29

$1.15 Ft 371

-2.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 RON 4.83

$1.79 Ft 578

-43.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 RON 5.42

$2.49 Ft 804

-53.82%

Eggs

$2.66 RON 12.58

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-31.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.03 RON 33.24

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-36.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.34 RON 34.71

$6.62 Ft 2,139

10.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.74 RON 50.8

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-26.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 RON 5.12

$1.83 Ft 591

-40.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.29

$2.05 Ft 661

-35.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.82

$2.37 Ft 765

-48.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 RON 6.66

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-63.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 RON 5.51

$0.99 Ft 320

17.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 RON 6.32

$1.00 Ft 322

34.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 RON 4.47

$1.58 Ft 511

-40.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 RON 3.26

$0.67 Ft 216

2.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.31 RON 25.11

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-33.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 RON 29.18

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-0.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 RON 5.73

$1.27 Ft 411

-4.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 RON 8.33

$2.03 Ft 654

-13.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 RON 2.57

$1.52 Ft 490

-64.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.25 RON 110

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-17.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 RON 4.00

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-74.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.90

$1.37 Ft 442

-40.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.93 RON 37.54

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-60.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 RON 7.36

$1.82 Ft 589

-14.29%

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

$22.3K RON 105.4K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-25.21%

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

$24.6K RON 116.6K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-27.12%

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

$123 RON 581

$171 Ft 55.3K

-28.27%

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

$7.13 RON 33.74

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-69.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.26 RON 34.37

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-68.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.96 RON 199

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-37.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.54 RON 49.84

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-44.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.11 RON 28.92

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-34.30%

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

$154 RON 728

$533 Ft 172.3K

-71.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,826 RON 18.1K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-77.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.6 RON 287

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-39.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.58 RON 130

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-36.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 RON 397

$110 Ft 35.7K

-23.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 RON 334

$119 Ft 38.4K

-40.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 RON 1,545

$830 Ft 268.3K

-60.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 RON 1,226

$622 Ft 200.9K

-58.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 RON 3,093

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-58.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 RON 1,904

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-65.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$984 RON 4,654

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-83.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,043 RON 4,937

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-73.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 RON 3,076

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-60.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.05

6.45

9.30%

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

Last update for Satu Mare: 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

Satu Mare

$259 28.1%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 140% $363

Groceries & Markets

Satu Mare

$192 20.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 34.3% $66

Eating Out

Satu Mare

$140 15.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 58.8% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Satu Mare

$137 14.9%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 58.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Satu Mare

$109 11.8%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 53.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Satu Mare

$54 5.9%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 58.9% $32

Getting Around

Satu Mare

$30 3.3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 45.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $327 in Satu Mare 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 154% 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 $32.00 in Satu Mare versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $258 – making Satu Mare the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Satu Mare

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

19:25 7:25 PM

18:25 6:25 PM

1 h behind Satu Mare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

102,411

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

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 RON in detail →

On the map

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Satu Mare Budapest 290 km

From you

Satu Mare
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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

Satu Mare vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,384 per month in Satu Mare 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 Satu Mare, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Satu Mare. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $154 per month in Satu Mare and $533 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 Satu Mare, where all-in costs run around $922, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Satu Mare it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Satu Mare – 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 Satu Mare. 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.