Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Svishtov and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Svishtov: $922 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Svishtov
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Svishtov Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Svishtov

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$922

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $922 per month in Svishtov vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Svishtov $922
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,446 per month in Svishtov vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Svishtov $1,446
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $1,970 per month in Svishtov vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Svishtov $1,970
Budapest $3,483

Svishtov is about 44% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Svishtov sits 32% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.56 BGN 23.60

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-3.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.77 BGN 77.9

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-26.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.61 BGN 14.99

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-16.97%

Cappuccino

$2.30 BGN 4.01

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-33.53%

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

$0.99 BGN 1.73

$2.07 Ft 669

-52.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$1.77 Ft 572

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.69 BGN 2.95

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-54.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 BGN 4.93

$3.80 Ft 1,229

-25.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 BGN 2.54

$1.16 Ft 374

25.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$1.85 Ft 598

-55.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$2.40 Ft 776

-27.50%

Eggs

$2.77 BGN 4.83

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-30.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 BGN 16.98

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-14.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.06 BGN 8.80

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-26.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.45 BGN 14.70

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-41.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 BGN 2.55

$1.88 Ft 607

-22.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 BGN 1.83

$2.14 Ft 693

-50.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 BGN 1.85

$2.30 Ft 744

-53.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 BGN 4.01

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-43.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 BGN 1.23

$1.02 Ft 329

-30.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 BGN 0.83

$0.99 Ft 320

-51.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$1.58 Ft 510

-65.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 BGN 0.97

$0.70 Ft 225

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 BGN 6.24

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-55.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.95 BGN 12.10

$6.18 Ft 1,997

12.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.24 Ft 401

-16.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.02

$2.06 Ft 666

-43.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 BGN 1.57

$1.59 Ft 513

-43.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.96 BGN 41.70

$27.52 Ft 8,893

-12.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 BGN 2.46

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-58.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.13

$1.33 Ft 431

-51.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.06 BGN 20.98

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-41.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 BGN 2.49

$1.93 Ft 624

-25.91%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

2.33%

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

$22.8K BGN 39.6K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-34.47%

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

$102 BGN 178

$175 Ft 56.4K

-41.41%

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

$14.19 BGN 24.68

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-39.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.42 BGN 14.65

$23.60 Ft 7,625

-64.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.14 BGN 52.5

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-56.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.08 BGN 29.72

$19.26 Ft 6,224

-11.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.68 BGN 15.10

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-15.81%

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

$230 BGN 401

$535 Ft 172.9K

-56.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,778 BGN 10.1K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-65.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 BGN 88.6

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-49.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.21 BGN 43.87

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-41.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 BGN 125

$112 Ft 36.1K

-35.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.5 BGN 119

$119 Ft 38.4K

-42.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 BGN 585

$832 Ft 268.8K

-59.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 BGN 443

$629 Ft 203.3K

-59.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 BGN 934

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-66.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$408 BGN 710

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-65.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,320 BGN 2,298

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-76.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,076 BGN 1,872

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-72.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,264 BGN 2,199

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

-26.20%

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 Svishtov: October 18, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Svishtov

$254 27.6%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 147% $375

Groceries & Markets

Svishtov

$184 19.9%

Budapest

$262 16% 42.5% $78

Eating Out

Svishtov

$182 19.8%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 24.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Svishtov

$125 13.5%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 77.6% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Svishtov

$97 10.6%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 72.7% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Svishtov

$48 5.2%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 88.4% $42

Getting Around

Svishtov

$32 3.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 36.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $336 in Svishtov 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 35% 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 $45.00 in Svishtov versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $184 vs $262 – making Svishtov the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Svishtov

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

21:59 9:59 PM

1 h behind Svishtov

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,000

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 →

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Between locations

Svishtov Budapest 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Svishtov
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

Svishtov vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,384 per month in Svishtov 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 Svishtov, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Svishtov. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $230 per month in Svishtov 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 Svishtov, where all-in costs run around $922, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Svishtov it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Svishtov – 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 Svishtov. 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.