Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sighetu Marmatiei and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Sighetu Marmatiei: $958 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Sighetu Marmatiei
Learn more

Sighetu Marmatiei Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Sighetu Marmatiei

🇷🇴 Romania

$958

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Sighetu Marmatiei vs $1,638 in Budapest, rent included.

Sighetu Marmatiei $958
Budapest $1,638

A couple spends around $1,401 per month in Sighetu Marmatiei vs $2,553 in Budapest, rent included.

Sighetu Marmatiei $1,401
Budapest $2,553

A family of three spends $1,843 per month in Sighetu Marmatiei vs $3,467 in Budapest, rent included.

Sighetu Marmatiei $1,843
Budapest $3,467

Sighetu Marmatiei is about 42% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Sighetu Marmatiei sits 30% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.62 RON 41.43

$13.81 Ft 4,548

-37.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.80 RON 100

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

-66.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.31 RON 35.15

$10.16 Ft 3,345

-28.05%

Cappuccino

$2.68 RON 12.89

$3.22 Ft 1,061

-16.77%

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

$1.84 RON 8.86

$2.06 Ft 679

-10.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 RON 8.51

$1.83 Ft 604

-3.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 RON 9.89

$3.60 Ft 1,187

-42.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 RON 15.13

$3.66 Ft 1,207

-13.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 RON 6.92

$1.19 Ft 392

21.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 RON 4.87

$1.87 Ft 616

-45.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 RON 5.78

$2.37 Ft 779

-49.37%

Eggs

$2.83 RON 13.61

$3.96 Ft 1,304

-28.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.02 RON 38.55

$11.16 Ft 3,677

-28.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 RON 30.46

$6.76 Ft 2,226

-6.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.18 RON 44.12

$14.35 Ft 4,727

-36.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.12 RON 5.38

$1.81 Ft 595

-38.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.17

$2.11 Ft 695

-29.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.17

$2.33 Ft 769

-36.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 RON 6.56

$3.80 Ft 1,253

-64.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.16

$0.99 Ft 327

-13.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.57

$0.98 Ft 324

-3.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 RON 3.32

$1.55 Ft 511

-55.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 RON 4.02

$0.70 Ft 229

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 RON 26.23

$7.79 Ft 2,567

-29.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.77 RON 27.74

$6.05 Ft 1,993

-4.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 RON 4.95

$1.28 Ft 421

-19.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 RON 8.44

$2.04 Ft 671

-13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.64

$1.55 Ft 511

-50.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.76 RON 105

$27.28 Ft 8,987

-20.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 RON 3.46

$3.30 Ft 1,086

-78.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 RON 3.69

$1.31 Ft 433

-41.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.41 RON 35.64

$20.26 Ft 6,673

-63.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 RON 8.31

$1.82 Ft 599

-4.95%

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

$29.0K RON 139.3K

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

0.90%

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

$25.5K RON 122.5K

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

-22.96%

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

$138 RON 663

$172 Ft 56.7K

-19.93%

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

$6.50 RON 31.23

$23.95 Ft 7,890

-72.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.73 RON 37.14

$23.31 Ft 7,679

-66.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 RON 185

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

-43.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.29 RON 97.5

$18.91 Ft 6,229

7.30%

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 RON 20.73

$10.18 Ft 3,353

-57.66%

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

$396 RON 1,905

$600 Ft 197.8K

-34.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,844 RON 42.5K

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

-47.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 RON 288

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

-39.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.56 RON 181

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

-13.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.8 RON 264

$113 Ft 37.2K

-51.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 RON 305

$117 Ft 38.6K

-45.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 RON 1,818

$836 Ft 275.4K

-54.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 RON 1,392

$640 Ft 210.7K

-54.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 RON 2,894

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

-62.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 RON 2,121

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

-63.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,865 RON 8,964

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

-66.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,333 RON 6,406

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

-64.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$522 RON 2,510

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

-68.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.1

6.45

10.08%

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

Last update for Sighetu Marmatiei: October 25, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sighetu Marmatiei

$290 30.2%

Budapest

$640 39.1% 121% $350

Groceries & Markets

Sighetu Marmatiei

$189 19.7%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 36.9% $70

Eating Out

Sighetu Marmatiei

$154 16.1%

Budapest

$221 13.5% 43.1% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sighetu Marmatiei

$152 15.9%

Budapest

$219 13.4% 44.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Sighetu Marmatiei

$97 10.1%

Budapest

$168 10.2% 72.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Sighetu Marmatiei

$47 4.9%

Budapest

$89 5.4% 88.9% $42

Getting Around

Sighetu Marmatiei

$29 3.1%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 47.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $378 in Sighetu Marmatiei versus $836 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 in Budapest are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Sighetu Marmatiei versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $189 vs $258 – making Sighetu Marmatiei the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Sighetu Marmatiei

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

14:57 2:57 PM

1 h behind Sighetu Marmatiei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,640

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sighetu Marmatiei Budapest 370 km

From you

Sighetu Marmatiei
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

Sighetu Marmatiei vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,437 per month in Sighetu Marmatiei and $2,457 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sighetu Marmatiei, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $378 there versus $836 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Sighetu Marmatiei. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $396 per month in Sighetu Marmatiei and $600 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sighetu Marmatiei, where all-in costs run around $958, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Sighetu Marmatiei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sighetu Marmatiei – 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 Sighetu Marmatiei. 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.