Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in Thessaloniki and in Budapest: $1,643 and $1,621 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,643

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,643 per month in Thessaloniki vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Thessaloniki $1,643
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,545 per month in Thessaloniki vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Thessaloniki $2,545
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,446 per month in Thessaloniki vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Thessaloniki $3,446
Budapest $3,489

Thessaloniki costs about 1% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Thessaloniki and Budapest sit above the global median – Thessaloniki by 23%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.85 €15.02

$13.99 Ft 4,555

20.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.3

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

10.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.81

$9.96 Ft 3,244

10.44%

Cappuccino

$4.30 €3.83

$3.38 Ft 1,102

27.22%

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

$3.01 €2.68

$2.13 Ft 693

41.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$1.87 Ft 609

-59.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.14

$3.75 Ft 1,222

53.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 €6.12

$3.57 Ft 1,163

92.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.13 Ft 369

55.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.84 Ft 600

-7.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.55 €3.17

$2.39 Ft 777

48.54%

Eggs

$5.46 €4.87

$3.83 Ft 1,246

42.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.95 €12.44

$11.33 Ft 3,689

23.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.13 €9.92

$6.74 Ft 2,194

65.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.27 €16.29

$14.69 Ft 4,784

24.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$1.84 Ft 598

35.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.01 Ft 654

10.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.36 Ft 767

-10.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-25.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.15

$0.96 Ft 314

35.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.03 Ft 335

20.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.56 Ft 509

-1.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.66 Ft 216

37.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 €5.03

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-29.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.00 €8.92

$6.01 Ft 1,956

66.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.30 Ft 422

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 €2.87

$2.08 Ft 677

54.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 €0.58

$1.50 Ft 490

-56.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.84 €15.91

$27.61 Ft 8,991

-35.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.29 €3.83

$3.30 Ft 1,075

30.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.30 Ft 424

-15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.55 €14.76

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-16.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.81 Ft 591

28.73%

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

$27.8K €24.8K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-5.06%

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

$30.6K €27.3K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-10.15%

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

$217 €193

$170 Ft 55.3K

27.56%

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

$23.23 €20.71

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-3.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.69 €27.37

$23.42 Ft 7,628

31.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 €46.09

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-21.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.72 €14.91

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-12.83%

Cinema Ticket

$10.50 €9.36

$9.52 Ft 3,101

10.29%

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

$468 €418

$537 Ft 174.8K

-12.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,132 €8,142

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-45.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.4 €85.9

$101 Ft 33.0K

-4.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.70 €39.86

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

3.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$113 Ft 36.7K

9.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$119 Ft 38.7K

12.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 €559

$805 Ft 262.2K

-22.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 €434

$629 Ft 204.9K

-22.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 €989

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-28.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$850 €757

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-27.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,774 €3,365

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-32.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,867 €2,556

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-27.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,166 €1,040

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-28.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

6.43

-16.95%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: 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

Thessaloniki

$487 29.5%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 29.3% $143

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$331 20.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 22.3% $74

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$277 16.8%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 19% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$271 16.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 19.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$179 10.9%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 5.5% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 17.3% $13

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 43.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $627 in Thessaloniki 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 39% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Thessaloniki versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $331 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:53 5:53 AM

04:53 4:53 AM

1 h behind Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

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 = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Thessaloniki Budapest 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Thessaloniki vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,465 per month in Thessaloniki 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 55% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $468 per month in Thessaloniki 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 Thessaloniki at $1,643. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thessaloniki 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, Thessaloniki makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.