Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Side and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,153 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Side
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Side Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,153

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,153 per month in Side vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Side $1,153
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,793 per month in Side vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Side $1,793
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $2,432 per month in Side vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Side $2,432
Budapest $3,483

Side is about 30% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Side sits 15% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.25 ₺507

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-26.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.35 ₺1,502

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-50.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 ₺488

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-4.92%

Cappuccino

$3.63 ₺179

$3.46 Ft 1,117

4.91%

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

$2.20 ₺109

$2.07 Ft 669

6.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₺19.35

$1.77 Ft 572

-77.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ₺203

$3.69 Ft 1,191

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.92 ₺293

$3.80 Ft 1,229

55.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 ₺52.2

$1.16 Ft 374

-9.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ₺47.29

$1.85 Ft 598

-48.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 ₺130

$2.40 Ft 776

9.17%

Eggs

$2.22 ₺110

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-44.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.36 ₺661

$11.40 Ft 3,683

17.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 ₺299

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-11.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.37 ₺1,305

$14.49 Ft 4,682

81.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 ₺76.1

$1.88 Ft 607

-18.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 ₺118

$2.14 Ft 693

11.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 ₺71.4

$2.30 Ft 744

-37.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 ₺60.8

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-69.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 ₺38.78

$1.02 Ft 329

-23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 ₺36.99

$0.99 Ft 320

-24.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 ₺89.7

$1.58 Ft 510

14.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₺37.73

$0.70 Ft 225

8.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 ₺138

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-65.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 ₺691

$6.18 Ft 1,997

125.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ₺87.1

$1.24 Ft 401

41.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₺155

$2.06 Ft 666

51.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ₺31.41

$1.59 Ft 513

-60.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ₺61.0

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-64.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ₺51.1

$1.33 Ft 431

-22.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.88 ₺341

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-66.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 ₺75.9

$1.93 Ft 624

-20.73%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

44.07%

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

$38.0K ₺1.9M

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

9.37%

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

$76.1 ₺3,765

$175 Ft 56.4K

-56.44%

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

$10.50 ₺520

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-55.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.39 ₺1,158

$23.60 Ft 7,625

-0.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 ₺2,826

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-17.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$7.93 ₺393

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-23.08%

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

$499 ₺24.7K

$535 Ft 172.9K

-6.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,527 ₺471.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-43.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.49 ₺2,203

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-55.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.1 ₺2,926

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

36.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$154 ₺7,612

$112 Ft 36.1K

37.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ₺5,967

$119 Ft 38.4K

1.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₺23.6K

$832 Ft 268.8K

-42.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 ₺15.2K

$629 Ft 203.3K

-51.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ₺37.8K

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-51.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 ₺27.8K

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-53.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,548 ₺76.7K

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-72.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$913 ₺45.2K

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-76.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

38.25

6.45

493.02%

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

Last update for Side: October 20, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Side

$308 26.7%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 105% $322

Groceries & Markets

Side

$286 24.8%

Budapest

$262 16% 8.5% $24

Eating Out

Side

$198 17.2%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 14.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Side

$170 14.7%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 1.1% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Side

$110 9.5%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 102% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Side

$73 6.3%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 22.6% $17

Getting Around

Side

$8.9 * 0.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 392% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Side 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Side versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $286 in Side vs $262 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Side

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

21:48 9:48 PM

1 h behind Side

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,500

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

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 TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Side Budapest 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Side
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

Side vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,730 per month in Side 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 Side, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Side and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Side, where all-in costs run around $1,153, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Side it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Side – 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 Side. 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.