Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turku and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,871 in Turku, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. The total is higher in Turku despite lower rent and utilities.

90

Cost of Living Index in Turku
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Turku Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Turku

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,871

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,871 per month in Turku vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Turku $1,871
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,007 per month in Turku vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Turku $3,007
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,144 per month in Turku vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Turku $4,144
Budapest $3,489

Turku costs about 15% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Turku and Budapest sit above the global median – Turku by 40%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.39 €14.63

$13.99 Ft 4,551

17.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €90.1

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

67.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.25 €10.93

$9.96 Ft 3,241

22.99%

Cappuccino

$4.77 €4.26

$3.38 Ft 1,100

41.12%

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

$2.81 €2.51

$2.13 Ft 692

31.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.87 Ft 608

3.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.77 €8.72

$3.75 Ft 1,221

160.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.25 €8.26

$3.57 Ft 1,162

159.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.13 Ft 368

36.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 €2.22

$1.84 Ft 599

34.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 €2.46

$2.39 Ft 777

15.06%

Eggs

$3.79 €3.39

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-1.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.90 €7.05

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-30.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.60 €13.03

$6.74 Ft 2,192

116.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.73 €16.72

$14.69 Ft 4,780

27.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 €2.49

$1.84 Ft 597

51.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.01 Ft 653

7.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 €2.05

$2.36 Ft 767

-2.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 €3.87

$3.77 Ft 1,226

14.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 €1.26

$0.96 Ft 313

47.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.03 Ft 334

51.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.56 Ft 509

29.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.66 Ft 216

175.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 €11.89

$7.96 Ft 2,591

67.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.38 €13.73

$6.01 Ft 1,954

155.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.89 €3.47

$1.30 Ft 421

199.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 €3.25

$2.08 Ft 676

75.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 €3.06

$1.50 Ft 489

128.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 €57.0

$27.61 Ft 8,982

131.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.69 €7.76

$3.30 Ft 1,074

163.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.30 Ft 424

17.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$66.8 €59.6

$19.78 Ft 6,436

237.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.37 €2.12

$1.81 Ft 591

30.94%

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

$37.2K €33.2K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

26.69%

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

$37.6K €33.6K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

10.35%

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

$132 €118

$170 Ft 55.3K

-22.40%

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

$28.80 €25.70

$23.98 Ft 7,802

20.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.54 €20.11

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-3.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.55 €38.86

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-34.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 €25.15

$19.18 Ft 6,239

46.98%

Cinema Ticket

$21.20 €18.92

$9.52 Ft 3,098

122.69%

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

$307 €274

$537 Ft 174.6K

-42.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,328 €6,539

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-55.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.4 €84.2

$101 Ft 33.0K

-6.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.81 €38.21

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-0.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.6

$113 Ft 36.7K

-7.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$119 Ft 38.6K

-4.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 €725

$805 Ft 262.0K

0.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 €591

$629 Ft 204.7K

5.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 €1,266

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-8.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 €1,026

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-1.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,179 €3,729

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-25.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,794 €2,494

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-29.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,707 €2,416

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

66.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.94

6.43

-38.72%

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

Last update for Turku: 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

Turku

$663 35.5%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 5.1% $34

Groceries & Markets

Turku

$372 19.9%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 30.7% $114

Eating Out

Turku

$311 16.7%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 28% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turku

$183 9.8%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 18.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Turku

$159 8.5%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 6.1% $9.7

Getting Around

Turku

$94 5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 53.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Turku

$86 4.6%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 0.8% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Turku 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 67% higher in Turku, 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 $101 in Turku versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Turku

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:11 8:11 AM

07:11 7:11 AM

1 h behind Turku

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,889

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

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Between locations

Turku Budapest 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Turku
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

Turku vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Turku is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,806 per month in Turku 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 131% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $307 per month in Turku 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 Turku at $1,871. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Turku 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, Turku makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.