Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Utena and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Utena: $1,317 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Utena
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Utena Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Utena

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,317

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,317 per month in Utena vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Utena $1,317
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $2,028 per month in Utena vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Utena $2,028
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $2,739 per month in Utena vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Utena $2,739
Budapest $3,483

Utena is about 20% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Utena sits 3% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 €10.87

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-12.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 €45.13

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-16.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 €6.02

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-34.72%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-8.96%

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

$2.65 €2.36

$2.07 Ft 669

28.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.77 Ft 572

4.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.50 €4.89

$3.69 Ft 1,191

49.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.04 €4.48

$3.80 Ft 1,229

32.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.16 Ft 374

5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.85 Ft 598

-18.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.40 Ft 776

-27.50%

Eggs

$2.82 €2.51

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-29.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 €8.96

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-11.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 €4.98

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-18.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.72 €8.65

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-32.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.88 Ft 607

-14.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.14 Ft 693

-35.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.30 Ft 744

-26.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 €2.63

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-26.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 €0.66

$1.02 Ft 329

-27.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 €0.87

$0.99 Ft 320

-1.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.58 Ft 510

-6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.70 Ft 225

11.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.11

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-28.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.22 €7.32

$6.18 Ft 1,997

33.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.24 Ft 401

28.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.06 Ft 666

-15.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.59 Ft 513

-28.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.66 €29.05

$27.52 Ft 8,893

18.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 €2.79

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-8.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.72

$1.33 Ft 431

-39.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.14 €11.69

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-35.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.93 Ft 624

-6.22%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-6.72%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-19.44%

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

$208 €185

$175 Ft 56.4K

18.95%

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

$13.18 €11.73

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-44.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.32 €10.07

$23.60 Ft 7,625

-52.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.99 €35.57

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-41.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.23 €19.78

$19.26 Ft 6,224

15.42%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 €7.91

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-13.77%

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

$471 €419

$535 Ft 172.9K

-12.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,278 €8,253

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-44.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$136 €121

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

36.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.9 €56.9

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

47.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 €70.5

$112 Ft 36.1K

-29.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$179 €160

$119 Ft 38.4K

50.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 €474

$832 Ft 268.8K

-36.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 €308

$629 Ft 203.3K

-44.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$813 €723

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-48.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 €560

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-47.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,058 €2,720

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-46.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,829 €1,627

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-53.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,222 €1,087

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

-28.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

6.45

-38.45%

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

Last update for Utena: October 20, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Utena

$347 26.3%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 81.5% $282

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Utena

$232 17.6%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 4.5% $10

Groceries & Markets

Utena

$218 16.6%

Budapest

$262 16% 19.9% $44

Eating Out

Utena

$211 16.1%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 7.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Utena

$207 15.7%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 18.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Utena

$58 4.4%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 54.9% $32

Getting Around

Utena

$44 3.4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 0.9% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $532 in Utena versus $832 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 40% 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 $51.0 in Utena versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $262 – making Utena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Utena

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

19:40 7:40 PM

1 h behind Utena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,997

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Utena Budapest 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Utena
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

Utena vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,976 per month in Utena and $2,461 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 19% less in Utena. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $471 per month in Utena and $535 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Utena, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Utena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Utena – 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 Utena. 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.