Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sfantu Gheorghe and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Sfantu Gheorghe: $813 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Sfantu Gheorghe
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Sfantu Gheorghe Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Sfantu Gheorghe

🇷🇴 Romania

$813

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $813 per month in Sfantu Gheorghe vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Sfantu Gheorghe $813
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,297 per month in Sfantu Gheorghe vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Sfantu Gheorghe $1,297
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $1,781 per month in Sfantu Gheorghe vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Sfantu Gheorghe $1,781
Budapest $3,483

Sfantu Gheorghe is about 50% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Sfantu Gheorghe sits 40% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.56 RON 40.51

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-39.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.50 RON 196

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-31.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.21 RON 34.10

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-30.47%

Cappuccino

$2.54 RON 12.04

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-26.59%

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

$1.23 RON 5.81

$2.07 Ft 669

-40.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$1.77 Ft 572

-39.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 RON 11.74

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 RON 10.20

$3.80 Ft 1,229

-43.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RON 6.55

$1.16 Ft 374

19.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RON 5.36

$1.85 Ft 598

-38.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$2.40 Ft 776

-41.67%

Eggs

$3.28 RON 15.52

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-17.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 RON 36.97

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-31.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 RON 21.83

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-32.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.72 RON 36.51

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-46.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 RON 5.11

$1.88 Ft 607

-42.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 RON 7.14

$2.14 Ft 693

-29.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 RON 5.52

$2.30 Ft 744

-49.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 RON 11.92

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-37.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 RON 3.27

$1.02 Ft 329

-32.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 RON 2.84

$0.99 Ft 320

-39.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 RON 4.86

$1.58 Ft 510

-34.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RON 3.81

$0.70 Ft 225

15.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.90 RON 23.17

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-38.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 RON 35.10

$6.18 Ft 1,997

20.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.56

$1.24 Ft 401

-22.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.05

$2.06 Ft 666

-48.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$1.59 Ft 513

-45.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.61 RON 73.9

$27.52 Ft 8,893

-43.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 RON 4.72

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-70.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$1.33 Ft 431

-33.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 RON 39.63

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-59.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.68

$1.93 Ft 624

-16.06%

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

$28.9K RON 136.9K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-0.72%

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

$24.9K RON 117.8K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-28.32%

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

$113 RON 536

$175 Ft 56.4K

-35.09%

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

$9.41 RON 44.53

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-60.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.23 RON 57.9

$23.60 Ft 7,625

-48.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.71 RON 193

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-40.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.72 RON 98.0

$19.26 Ft 6,224

7.58%

Cinema Ticket

$3.13 RON 14.80

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-69.64%

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

$444 RON 2,102

$535 Ft 172.9K

-17.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,646 RON 31.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-60.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.88 RON 122

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-74.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.62 RON 64.4

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-68.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.45 RON 187

$112 Ft 36.1K

-64.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.3 RON 299

$119 Ft 38.4K

-46.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 RON 1,389

$832 Ft 268.8K

-64.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 RON 1,003

$629 Ft 203.3K

-66.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 RON 2,479

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-66.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 RON 1,897

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-66.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,843 RON 8,718

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-67.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,362 RON 6,445

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-65.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$691 RON 3,271

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

-59.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.45

4.65%

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

Last update for Sfantu Gheorghe: October 17, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sfantu Gheorghe

$212 26.1%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 197% $417

Groceries & Markets

Sfantu Gheorghe

$184 22.6%

Budapest

$262 16% 42.1% $78

Eating Out

Sfantu Gheorghe

$147 18%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 54.4% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sfantu Gheorghe

$135 16.6%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 64.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Sfantu Gheorghe

$64 7.9%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 163% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Sfantu Gheorghe

$47 5.8%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 90.5% $43

Getting Around

Sfantu Gheorghe

$24 3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 79.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $294 in Sfantu Gheorghe 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 148% 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 $41.00 in Sfantu Gheorghe versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $184 vs $262 – making Sfantu Gheorghe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Sfantu Gheorghe

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

02:24 2:24 AM

1 h behind Sfantu Gheorghe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,006

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 24, 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 24, 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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Highest

Between locations

Sfantu Gheorghe Budapest 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sfantu Gheorghe
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

Sfantu Gheorghe vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 102%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,220 per month in Sfantu Gheorghe 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 Sfantu Gheorghe, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Sfantu Gheorghe. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $444 per month in Sfantu Gheorghe and $535 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sfantu Gheorghe, where all-in costs run around $813, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Sfantu Gheorghe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sfantu Gheorghe – 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 Sfantu Gheorghe. 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.