Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tartu and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in Tartu and in Budapest: $1,639 and $1,621 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tartu
Learn more

Tartu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Tartu

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Tartu vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Tartu $1,639
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,505 per month in Tartu vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Tartu $2,505
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,371 per month in Tartu vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Tartu $3,371
Budapest $3,489

Tartu costs about 1% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tartu and Budapest sit above the global median – Tartu by 22%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.22

$13.99 Ft 4,551

21.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.6 €63.9

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

18.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 €9.93

$9.96 Ft 3,241

11.75%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.70

$3.38 Ft 1,100

22.49%

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

$3.42 €3.05

$2.13 Ft 692

60.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 €3.28

$1.87 Ft 608

96.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.39 €5.70

$3.75 Ft 1,221

70.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 €6.55

$3.57 Ft 1,162

105.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.13 Ft 368

8.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.84 Ft 599

4.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.39 Ft 777

-2.93%

Eggs

$2.86 €2.55

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-25.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.66 €11.30

$11.33 Ft 3,686

11.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.41 €7.50

$6.74 Ft 2,192

24.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.23 €13.59

$14.69 Ft 4,780

3.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.84 Ft 597

11.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 €1.30

$2.01 Ft 653

-27.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$2.36 Ft 767

6.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 €2.76

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-17.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.96 Ft 313

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 €0.75

$1.03 Ft 334

-17.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.56 Ft 509

15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.66 Ft 216

80.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-13.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.12 €9.03

$6.01 Ft 1,954

68.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.30 Ft 421

58.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.12

$2.08 Ft 676

13.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.50 Ft 489

14.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.06 €27.72

$27.61 Ft 8,982

12.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 €3.24

$3.30 Ft 1,074

10.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.30 Ft 424

-23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.95 €24.05

$19.78 Ft 6,436

36.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.81 Ft 591

6.63%

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

$27.9K €24.9K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-4.77%

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

$31.1K €27.8K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-8.81%

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

$312 €278

$170 Ft 55.3K

83.54%

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

$17.95 €16.02

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-25.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.83 €31.98

$23.42 Ft 7,621

52.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.03 €34.83

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-41.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.03 €31.26

$19.18 Ft 6,239

82.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.72 €10.46

$9.52 Ft 3,098

23.11%

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

$430 €383

$537 Ft 174.6K

-19.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.4K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-29.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.5

$101 Ft 33.0K

8.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.56 €44.23

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

15.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.3

$113 Ft 36.7K

-5.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$119 Ft 38.6K

2.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$625 €557

$805 Ft 262.0K

-22.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 €385

$629 Ft 204.7K

-31.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 €1,037

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-25.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$754 €673

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-35.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,498 €3,122

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-37.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,646 €2,361

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-33.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,945 €1,736

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

19.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

6.43

-38.88%

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

Last update for Tartu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tartu

$431 26%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 45.8% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tartu

$366 22%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 40.6% $148

Eating Out

Tartu

$295 17.8%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 23.9% $70

Groceries & Markets

Tartu

$284 17.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 9.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Tartu

$175 10.5%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 3.2% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Tartu

$62 3.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 36.5% $23

Getting Around

Tartu

$47 2.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 6.8% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $625 in Tartu 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 20% higher in Tartu, 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 $72.0 in Tartu versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $284 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Tartu

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

07:01 7:01 AM

1 h behind Tartu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

102,414

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tartu Budapest 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tartu
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

Tartu vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tartu is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,458 per month in Tartu 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 Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $430 per month in Tartu and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Tartu at $1,639. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tartu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tartu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.