Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szeged and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Szeged: $1,227 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Szeged
Learn more

Szeged Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Szeged

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,227

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Szeged and in Bucharest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Szeged and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,227 in Szeged versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Szeged $1,227
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,912 in Szeged versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Szeged $1,912
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,596 in Szeged versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Szeged $2,596
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Szeged costs roughly 8% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Szeged 9% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.98 Ft 2,902

$14.49 RON 68.6

-38.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.4 Ft 18.5K

$58.1 RON 275

-1.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 Ft 3,018

$7.48 RON 35.40

24.87%

Cappuccino

$2.41 Ft 777

$3.44 RON 16.29

-29.94%

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

$1.56 Ft 504

$2.37 RON 11.22

-34.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 Ft 429

$2.30 RON 10.88

-42.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 Ft 754

$3.70 RON 17.51

-37.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 Ft 717

$4.16 RON 19.69

-46.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 Ft 393

$1.67 RON 7.90

-26.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 Ft 441

$1.37 RON 6.50

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 Ft 781

$1.72 RON 8.14

40.70%

Eggs

$3.56 Ft 1,150

$3.64 RON 17.22

-2.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.46 Ft 3,378

$9.08 RON 42.98

15.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 Ft 2,070

$6.84 RON 32.35

-6.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.40 Ft 5,298

$12.00 RON 56.8

36.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 Ft 737

$1.23 RON 5.80

85.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 Ft 716

$1.63 RON 7.73

35.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 662

$1.57 RON 7.45

30.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 Ft 1,082

$2.54 RON 12.01

31.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 317

$0.79 RON 3.75

24.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 Ft 336

$0.77 RON 3.66

35.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 Ft 537

$0.87 RON 4.13

90.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Ft 167

$0.99 RON 4.70

-47.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.04 Ft 2,599

$6.31 RON 29.86

27.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 Ft 1,760

$6.20 RON 29.34

-12.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 Ft 407

$1.19 RON 5.63

5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 Ft 643

$1.57 RON 7.45

26.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 Ft 527

$0.86 RON 4.08

89.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.42 Ft 9,505

$21.10 RON 99.8

39.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 Ft 975

$0.64 RON 3.05

371.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 Ft 533

$0.60 RON 2.86

175.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.15 Ft 5,864

$6.43 RON 30.43

182.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 Ft 615

$1.96 RON 9.25

-3.06%

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

$29.5K Ft 9.5M

$29.0K RON 137.2K

1.70%

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

$37.9K Ft 12.2M

$26.6K RON 126.0K

42.18%

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

$127 Ft 40.9K

$196 RON 927

-35.30%

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

$21.61 Ft 6,981

$8.04 RON 38.04

168.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.17 Ft 6,515

$9.35 RON 44.21

115.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.93 Ft 15.2K

$50.2 RON 238

-6.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.12 Ft 9,409

$25.33 RON 120

14.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 Ft 2,775

$8.15 RON 38.55

5.40%

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

$248 Ft 80.2K

$628 RON 2,971

-60.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,658 Ft 2.2M

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-52.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 Ft 36.9K

$89.6 RON 424

27.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.26 Ft 10.4K

$38.32 RON 181

-15.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 Ft 30.4K

$79.3 RON 375

18.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 Ft 36.7K

$90.4 RON 428

25.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$523 Ft 168.9K

$678 RON 3,209

-22.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 Ft 122.9K

$448 RON 2,121

-15.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 Ft 245.8K

$1,083 RON 5,125

-29.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$603 Ft 194.7K

$725 RON 3,430

-16.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,103 Ft 1.0M

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-17.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,320 Ft 749.4K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

5.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,234 Ft 398.7K

$1,329 RON 6,290

-7.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

6.75

-1.19%

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

Last update for Szeged: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Szeged

$380 31%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 17.9% $68

Groceries & Markets

Szeged

$251 20.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 10.3% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szeged

$169 13.7%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 26.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Szeged

$159 13%

Bucharest

$134 10% 16% $25

Eating Out

Szeged

$156 12.8%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 44% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Szeged

$64 5.2%

Bucharest

$67 5% 3.8% $2.4

Getting Around

Szeged

$47 3.9%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 40.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $523 in Szeged and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 8% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $57.0 in Szeged vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $251 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Szeged

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

19:01 7:01 PM

1 h ahead of Szeged

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,930

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Szeged Bucharest 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Szeged
Bucharest

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

Szeged vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Szeged and Bucharest differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,227 vs $1,340 including rent). Szeged is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $523 in Szeged versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,227 per month in Szeged versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Szeged runs roughly 39% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,227 in Szeged versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Szeged but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Szeged the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Szeged and Bucharest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Szeged gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.