Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Targu Mures and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Mures: $942 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Targu Mures
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Targu Mures Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Targu Mures

🇷🇴 Romania

$942

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $942 per month in Targu Mures vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Targu Mures $942
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,446 per month in Targu Mures vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Targu Mures $1,446
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,950 per month in Targu Mures vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Targu Mures $1,950
Budapest $3,489

Targu Mures is about 42% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Targu Mures sits 30% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.02 RON 42.67

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-35.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.09 RON 199

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-30.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.17 RON 38.64

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-17.97%

Cappuccino

$2.21 RON 10.43

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-34.62%

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

$1.46 RON 6.90

$2.13 Ft 692

-31.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.78

$1.87 Ft 608

-34.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 RON 9.15

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-48.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 RON 11.12

$3.57 Ft 1,162

-34.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 RON 6.41

$1.13 Ft 368

20.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 RON 5.29

$1.84 Ft 599

-39.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.59

$2.39 Ft 777

-41.84%

Eggs

$2.92 RON 13.81

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-23.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.83 RON 37.04

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-30.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.78 RON 27.32

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-14.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 RON 48.24

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-30.57%

Apples (1kg)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$1.84 Ft 597

-49.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 RON 6.01

$2.01 Ft 653

-36.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.87

$2.36 Ft 767

-38.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 RON 8.99

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-49.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.39

$0.96 Ft 313

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 RON 2.46

$1.03 Ft 334

-49.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$1.56 Ft 509

-43.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RON 3.59

$0.66 Ft 216

15.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.81 RON 27.49

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-27.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.32 RON 34.64

$6.01 Ft 1,954

21.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.07

$1.30 Ft 421

-17.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 RON 7.33

$2.08 Ft 676

-25.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 RON 3.07

$1.50 Ft 489

-56.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.67 RON 121

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-7.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 RON 4.03

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-74.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$1.30 Ft 424

-37.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.60 RON 35.94

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-61.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RON 8.85

$1.81 Ft 591

3.31%

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

$29.1K RON 137.7K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-0.71%

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

$25.2K RON 119.2K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-26.11%

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

$102 RON 482

$170 Ft 55.3K

-40.09%

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

$9.28 RON 43.89

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-61.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.35 RON 39.49

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-64.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.67 RON 197

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-37.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.94 RON 84.9

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-6.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.21 RON 29.38

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-34.77%

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

$1,335 RON 6,312

$537 Ft 174.6K

148.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 RON 253

$101 Ft 33.0K

-47.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.39 RON 144

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-29.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 RON 358

$113 Ft 36.7K

-32.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 RON 371

$119 Ft 38.6K

-34.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 RON 1,990

$805 Ft 262.0K

-47.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 RON 1,371

$629 Ft 204.7K

-53.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 RON 3,055

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-58.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$485 RON 2,294

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-58.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,236 RON 10.6K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-60.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,482 RON 7,008

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-62.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$998 RON 4,722

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-38.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.47

6.43

16.17%

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

Last update for Targu Mures: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Targu Mures

$290 30.7%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 117% $339

Groceries & Markets

Targu Mures

$191 20.3%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 34.5% $66

Eating Out

Targu Mures

$148 15.7%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 51.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Targu Mures

$119 12.7%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 82% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Targu Mures

$107 11.4%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 58% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Targu Mures

$54 5.7%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 57.6% $31

Getting Around

Targu Mures

$33 3.5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 31% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $421 in Targu Mures versus $805 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 63% 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 $42.00 in Targu Mures versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $258 – making Targu Mures the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Targu Mures

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

07:27 7:27 AM

1 h behind Targu Mures

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,290

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,412 per month in Targu Mures and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Targu Mures, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Targu Mures. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,335 per month in Targu Mures and $537 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 Mures, where all-in costs run around $942, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Targu Mures it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Targu Mures – 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 Mures. 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.