Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Silistra and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Silistra: $864 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Silistra
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Silistra Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Silistra

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$864

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $864 per month in Silistra vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Silistra $864
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,230 per month in Silistra vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Silistra $1,230
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,595 per month in Silistra vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Silistra $1,595
Budapest $3,429

Silistra is about 47% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Silistra sits 36% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.45 BGN 18.28

$13.94 Ft 4,523

-25.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.10 BGN 42.17

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

-60.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 BGN 15.35

$10.19 Ft 3,306

-13.94%

Cappuccino

$1.67 BGN 2.92

$3.26 Ft 1,059

-48.77%

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

$1.17 BGN 2.05

$2.14 Ft 694

-45.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 BGN 1.41

$1.78 Ft 579

-54.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 BGN 3.15

$3.71 Ft 1,204

-51.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 BGN 3.48

$3.77 Ft 1,223

-47.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 BGN 3.11

$1.15 Ft 372

54.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 BGN 1.50

$1.79 Ft 580

-51.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 BGN 2.60

$2.49 Ft 807

-40.16%

Eggs

$2.22 BGN 3.89

$3.90 Ft 1,266

-43.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.26 BGN 16.20

$11.10 Ft 3,604

-16.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 BGN 11.12

$6.62 Ft 2,149

-4.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.37 BGN 14.66

$14.69 Ft 4,767

-43.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 BGN 2.28

$1.83 Ft 594

-28.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.84

$2.05 Ft 664

-20.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 BGN 3.06

$2.37 Ft 769

-26.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 BGN 3.29

$3.90 Ft 1,266

-51.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$0.99 Ft 322

-6.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 BGN 1.25

$1.00 Ft 323

-28.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.97

$1.58 Ft 513

-65.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 BGN 1.11

$0.67 Ft 217

-4.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 BGN 6.67

$7.96 Ft 2,584

-52.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.23 BGN 9.15

$6.22 Ft 2,018

-15.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 BGN 1.90

$1.27 Ft 413

-14.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.94

$2.03 Ft 657

-17.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$1.52 Ft 492

-41.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.32 BGN 46.06

$28.02 Ft 9,095

-6.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 BGN 1.97

$3.31 Ft 1,075

-65.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 BGN 1.16

$1.37 Ft 444

-51.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.59 BGN 9.79

$19.83 Ft 6,436

-71.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 BGN 2.50

$1.82 Ft 591

-21.43%

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

$30.4K BGN 53.2K

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

2.05%

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

$21.8K BGN 38.1K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-35.56%

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

$94.0 BGN 165

$171 Ft 55.5K

-45.05%

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

$14.84 BGN 25.98

$23.51 Ft 7,631

-36.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.96 BGN 20.94

$23.29 Ft 7,560

-48.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.12 BGN 54.5

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

-53.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.05 BGN 26.34

$18.89 Ft 6,133

-20.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.88 BGN 12.04

$9.30 Ft 3,018

-26.02%

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

$227 BGN 398

$533 Ft 173.1K

-57.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,327 BGN 4,072

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-86.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.01 BGN 52.5

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

-69.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.01 BGN 33.27

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

-56.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.3 BGN 113

$110 Ft 35.8K

-41.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.2 BGN 89.6

$119 Ft 38.6K

-56.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 BGN 576

$830 Ft 269.6K

-60.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 BGN 433

$622 Ft 201.9K

-60.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$334 BGN 585

$1,594 Ft 517.2K

-79.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$243 BGN 425

$1,170 Ft 379.9K

-79.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,215 BGN 2,126

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-79.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 BGN 2,151

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-68.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$721 BGN 1,261

$1,651 Ft 535.9K

-56.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

6.45

-53.64%

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

Last update for Silistra: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Silistra

$248 28.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 151% $374

Groceries & Markets

Silistra

$192 22.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 34.5% $66

Eating Out

Silistra

$151 17.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 47.8% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Silistra

$121 14%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 80.3% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Silistra

$74 8.6%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 126% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Silistra

$45 5.2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 91.9% $41

Getting Around

Silistra

$34 4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 29% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $329 in Silistra 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 129% 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 $24.00 in Silistra versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $258 – making Silistra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Silistra

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

21:50 9:50 PM

1 h behind Silistra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,923

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Silistra Budapest 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Silistra
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

Silistra vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,296 per month in Silistra 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 Silistra, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Silistra. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $227 per month in Silistra and $533 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 Silistra, where all-in costs run around $864, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Silistra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Silistra – 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 Silistra. 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.