Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Serrai and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Serrai: $1,253 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Serrai
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Serrai Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Serrai

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,253

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,253 per month in Serrai vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Serrai $1,253
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,867 per month in Serrai vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Serrai $1,867
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,481 per month in Serrai vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Serrai $2,481
Budapest $3,429

Serrai is about 23% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Serrai sits 7% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.14 €13.47

$13.94 Ft 4,503

8.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.45 €40.42

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-25.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.77

$10.19 Ft 3,291

7.75%

Cappuccino

$3.56 €3.17

$3.26 Ft 1,055

9.20%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.14 Ft 690

5.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.52

$1.78 Ft 577

-66.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 €4.91

$3.71 Ft 1,198

48.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 €5.09

$3.77 Ft 1,217

51.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.15 Ft 371

16.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.79 Ft 578

-12.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.49 Ft 804

-26.91%

Eggs

$4.33 €3.85

$3.90 Ft 1,261

11.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.36 €10.99

$11.10 Ft 3,587

11.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 €8.20

$6.62 Ft 2,139

39.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.33 €10.07

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-22.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.83 Ft 591

24.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.05 Ft 661

-13.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.37 Ft 765

-45.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-59.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.99 Ft 320

9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.00 Ft 322

18.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.58 Ft 511

-42.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 €0.39

$0.67 Ft 216

-34.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.05 €4.49

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-36.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 €7.81

$6.22 Ft 2,009

41.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.27 Ft 411

64.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.03 Ft 654

7.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.52 Ft 490

12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.96 €39.99

$28.02 Ft 9,053

60.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 €3.18

$3.31 Ft 1,070

8.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.37 Ft 442

-16.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.31 €10.95

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-37.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.82 Ft 589

12.09%

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

$24.9K €22.2K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-16.28%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-21.18%

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

$214 €190

$171 Ft 55.3K

24.78%

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

$16.57 €14.74

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-29.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.16 €25.93

$23.29 Ft 7,526

25.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.67 €24.62

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-59.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.05 €24.06

$18.89 Ft 6,104

43.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.96 €7.08

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-14.41%

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

$473 €420

$533 Ft 172.3K

-11.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,221 €6,423

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-56.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.33 €40.32

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-54.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.90 €29.26

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-24.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.6

$110 Ft 35.7K

-4.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.6 €68.1

$119 Ft 38.4K

-35.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$334 €297

$830 Ft 268.3K

-59.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$272 €242

$622 Ft 200.9K

-56.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 €412

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-70.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 €347

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-66.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$944 €840

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-83.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$669 €595

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-82.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,140 €1,014

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-30.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

6.45

-44.19%

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

Last update for Serrai: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Serrai

$272 21.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 129% $350

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Serrai

$259 20.7%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 15.9% $41

Groceries & Markets

Serrai

$253 20.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 2% $5

Eating Out

Serrai

$247 19.7%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 9.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Serrai

$117 9.3%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 43.2% $51

Getting Around

Serrai

$61 4.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 27.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Serrai

$44 3.5%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 97.6% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $334 in Serrai 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 45% 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 $45.00 in Serrai versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $258 – making Serrai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Serrai

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h behind Serrai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,000

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Serrai Budapest 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Serrai
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Serrai vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,879 per month in Serrai 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 Serrai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Serrai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $473 per month in Serrai 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 Serrai, where all-in costs run around $1,253, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Serrai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Serrai – 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 Serrai. 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.