Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Targu Jiu and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Jiu: $1,012 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Targu Jiu
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Targu Jiu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Targu Jiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,012

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Targu Jiu vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Targu Jiu $1,012
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,570 per month in Targu Jiu vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Targu Jiu $1,570
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,128 per month in Targu Jiu vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Targu Jiu $2,128
Budapest $3,429

Targu Jiu is about 37% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Targu Jiu sits 25% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.75 RON 69.8

$13.94 Ft 4,503

5.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 RON 266

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-8.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.13 RON 33.74

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-30.03%

Cappuccino

$3.59 RON 16.98

$3.26 Ft 1,055

10.12%

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

$1.07 RON 5.06

$2.14 Ft 690

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 RON 10.58

$1.78 Ft 577

25.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RON 17.75

$3.71 Ft 1,198

1.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.81

$3.77 Ft 1,217

11.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.15 Ft 371

47.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$1.79 Ft 578

-27.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.01

$2.49 Ft 804

-32.13%

Eggs

$2.79 RON 13.22

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-28.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 RON 35.54

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-32.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.01 RON 14.26

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-54.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.23 RON 34.22

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-50.78%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 RON 4.68

$1.83 Ft 591

-45.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.06

$2.05 Ft 661

-27.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 RON 5.36

$2.37 Ft 765

-52.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.09

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-66.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.64

$0.99 Ft 320

-22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.69

$1.00 Ft 322

-22.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$1.58 Ft 511

-58.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 RON 2.45

$0.67 Ft 216

-22.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 RON 24.25

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-35.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.99 RON 14.13

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-51.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$1.27 Ft 411

-30.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 RON 4.90

$2.03 Ft 654

-48.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.52 Ft 490

-49.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.85 RON 103

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-22.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.86

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-81.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$1.37 Ft 442

-54.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 RON 29.92

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-68.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 RON 7.21

$1.82 Ft 589

-16.48%

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

$28.3K RON 133.9K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-5.03%

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

$26.6K RON 125.9K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-21.29%

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

$195 RON 924

$171 Ft 55.3K

14.16%

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

$6.03 RON 28.53

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-74.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-61.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.69 RON 178

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-44.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.62 RON 97.6

$18.89 Ft 6,104

9.16%

Cinema Ticket

$8.53 RON 40.36

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-8.28%

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

$630 RON 2,978

$533 Ft 172.3K

18.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,998 RON 33.1K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-58.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 RON 240

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-49.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.22 RON 119

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-42.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.2 RON 252

$110 Ft 35.7K

-51.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 RON 405

$119 Ft 38.4K

-28.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$346 RON 1,636

$830 Ft 268.3K

-58.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 RON 1,143

$622 Ft 200.9K

-61.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$479 RON 2,266

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-69.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 RON 1,898

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-65.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,868 RON 8,838

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-67.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,364 RON 6,454

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-64.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$518 RON 2,452

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-68.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

6.45

4.50%

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

Last update for Targu Jiu: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Targu Jiu

$242 23.9%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 157% $380

Eating Out

Targu Jiu

$223 22%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Targu Jiu

$210 20.8%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 3.5% $7.5

Groceries & Markets

Targu Jiu

$157 15.5%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 64.1% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Targu Jiu

$97 9.6%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 73.3% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Targu Jiu

$55 5.4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 57.3% $31

Getting Around

Targu Jiu

$29 2.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 54.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $346 in Targu Jiu 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 219% 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 $56.0 in Targu Jiu versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $157 vs $258 – making Targu Jiu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Targu Jiu

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

11:12 11:12 AM

1 h behind Targu Jiu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,504

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 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 RON in detail →

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Targu Jiu Budapest 420 km

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Targu Jiu
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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

Targu Jiu vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Targu Jiu 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 Targu Jiu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Targu Jiu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $630 per month in Targu Jiu and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Targu Jiu, where all-in costs run around $1,012, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Targu Jiu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Targu Jiu – 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 Targu Jiu. 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.