Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Smolyan and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Smolyan: $724 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Smolyan
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Smolyan Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Smolyan

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$724

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $724 per month in Smolyan vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Smolyan $724
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,158 per month in Smolyan vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Smolyan $1,158
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $1,591 per month in Smolyan vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Smolyan $1,591
Budapest $3,483

Smolyan is about 56% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Smolyan sits 47% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.43 BGN 11.19

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-54.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.31 BGN 64.9

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-38.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.72 BGN 9.95

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-44.84%

Cappuccino

$1.29 BGN 2.25

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-62.72%

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

$0.98 BGN 1.71

$2.07 Ft 669

-52.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 BGN 1.20

$1.77 Ft 572

-61.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-52.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 BGN 3.67

$3.80 Ft 1,229

-44.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.93

$1.16 Ft 374

45.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 BGN 1.66

$1.85 Ft 598

-48.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.96

$2.40 Ft 776

-29.17%

Eggs

$3.26 BGN 5.67

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-18.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.12 BGN 17.60

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-11.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 BGN 9.96

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-16.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.47 BGN 14.73

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-41.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.16 BGN 2.02

$1.88 Ft 607

-38.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.14 Ft 693

-21.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 BGN 2.04

$2.30 Ft 744

-49.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-42.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.02 Ft 329

12.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 BGN 2.47

$0.99 Ft 320

43.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$1.58 Ft 510

-41.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 BGN 0.94

$0.70 Ft 225

-22.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 BGN 5.98

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-57.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 BGN 9.68

$6.18 Ft 1,997

-10.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$1.24 Ft 401

-55.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BGN 2.95

$2.06 Ft 666

-17.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 BGN 1.65

$1.59 Ft 513

-40.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.88 BGN 57.2

$27.52 Ft 8,893

19.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.25

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-62.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$1.33 Ft 431

-55.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.04 BGN 20.95

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-41.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 BGN 2.69

$1.93 Ft 624

-19.69%

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

$23.0K BGN 40.1K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-20.99%

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

$22.7K BGN 39.5K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-34.70%

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

$103 BGN 179

$175 Ft 56.4K

-40.94%

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

$14.48 BGN 25.20

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-38.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.12 BGN 15.86

$23.60 Ft 7,625

-61.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.89 BGN 38.10

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-68.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.77 BGN 29.18

$19.26 Ft 6,224

-12.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 BGN 13.12

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-26.87%

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

$232 BGN 403

$535 Ft 172.9K

-56.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,911 BGN 10.3K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-64.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.35 BGN 49.33

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-71.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.15 BGN 36.79

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-51.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.2 BGN 103

$112 Ft 36.1K

-47.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.1 BGN 110

$119 Ft 38.4K

-46.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$201 BGN 349

$832 Ft 268.8K

-75.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$141 BGN 246

$629 Ft 203.3K

-77.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 BGN 504

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-81.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 BGN 424

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-79.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,342 BGN 2,335

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-76.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,059 BGN 1,843

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-73.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$670 BGN 1,165

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

-60.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

6.45

-49.61%

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

Last update for Smolyan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Smolyan

$197 27.2%

Budapest

$262 16% 33.1% $65

Accommodation & Living

Smolyan

$141 19.5%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 345% $488

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Smolyan

$127 17.5%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 75.1% $95

Eating Out

Smolyan

$104 14.3%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 118% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Smolyan

$77 10.7%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 118% $91

Getting Around

Smolyan

$41 5.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 7.5% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Smolyan

$37 5.1%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 142% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $201 in Smolyan 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 156% 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 $37.00 in Smolyan versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $262 – making Smolyan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Smolyan

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

12:18 12:18 PM

1 h behind Smolyan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,507

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 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 BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Smolyan Budapest 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Smolyan
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

Smolyan vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 127%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,085 per month in Smolyan 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 Smolyan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Smolyan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $232 per month in Smolyan and $535 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Smolyan, where all-in costs run around $724, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Smolyan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Smolyan – 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 Smolyan. 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.