Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Van and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Van: $956 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Van
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Van Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Van

🇹🇷 Turkey

$956

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Van vs $1,638 in Budapest, rent included.

Van $956
Budapest $1,638

A couple spends around $1,536 per month in Van vs $2,553 in Budapest, rent included.

Van $1,536
Budapest $2,553

A family of three spends $2,116 per month in Van vs $3,467 in Budapest, rent included.

Van $2,116
Budapest $3,467

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

Van sits 30% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.48 ₺373

$13.81 Ft 4,548

-45.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.59 ₺1,723

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

-43.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 ₺395

$10.16 Ft 3,345

-21.95%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₺178

$3.22 Ft 1,061

10.87%

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

$1.14 ₺56.6

$2.06 Ft 679

-44.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₺21.17

$1.83 Ft 604

-77.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 ₺166

$3.60 Ft 1,187

-7.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₺154

$3.66 Ft 1,207

-15.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 ₺47.67

$1.19 Ft 392

-19.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₺49.80

$1.87 Ft 616

-46.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₺112

$2.37 Ft 779

-5.06%

Eggs

$1.48 ₺73.9

$3.96 Ft 1,304

-62.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.99 ₺448

$11.16 Ft 3,677

-19.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 ₺203

$6.76 Ft 2,226

-39.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.62 ₺1,127

$14.35 Ft 4,727

57.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.9

$1.81 Ft 595

0.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 ₺91.1

$2.11 Ft 695

-13.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ₺54.3

$2.33 Ft 769

-53.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ₺57.4

$3.80 Ft 1,253

-69.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 ₺25.73

$0.99 Ft 327

-47.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₺17.44

$0.98 Ft 324

-64.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₺36.87

$1.55 Ft 511

-52.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₺30.53

$0.70 Ft 229

-12.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 ₺108

$7.79 Ft 2,567

-72.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 ₺516

$6.05 Ft 1,993

71.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₺99.9

$1.28 Ft 421

57.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₺139

$2.04 Ft 671

36.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 ₺36.59

$1.55 Ft 511

-52.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,987

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ₺64.6

$3.30 Ft 1,086

-60.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 ₺37.85

$1.31 Ft 433

-41.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 ₺359

$20.26 Ft 6,673

-64.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₺64.0

$1.82 Ft 599

-29.67%

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

$42.2K ₺2.1M

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

47.06%

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

$38.9K ₺1.9M

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

17.62%

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

$79.9 ₺3,981

$172 Ft 56.7K

-53.60%

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

$10.46 ₺521

$23.95 Ft 7,890

-56.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.39 ₺667

$23.31 Ft 7,679

-42.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 ₺2,841

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

-16.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,229

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ₺324

$10.18 Ft 3,353

-36.25%

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

$624 ₺31.1K

$600 Ft 197.8K

4.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ₺566.1K

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

-32.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.86 ₺2,285

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

-53.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.35 ₺1,661

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

-22.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 ₺3,969

$113 Ft 37.2K

-29.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 ₺4,425

$117 Ft 38.6K

-24.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 ₺23.4K

$836 Ft 275.4K

-43.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 ₺13.9K

$640 Ft 210.7K

-56.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₺40.6K

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

-48.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$586 ₺29.2K

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

-51.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,491 ₺74.3K

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

-73.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$968 ₺48.2K

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

-74.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.33

6.45

540.78%

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

Last update for Van: October 26, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Van

$278 29.1%

Budapest

$640 39.1% 130% $361

Groceries & Markets

Van

$229 23.9%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 12.9% $30

Eating Out

Van

$156 16.3%

Budapest

$221 13.5% 41.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Van

$111 11.7%

Budapest

$168 10.2% 50.3% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Van

$104 10.9%

Budapest

$219 13.4% 112% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Van

$70 7.3%

Budapest

$89 5.4% 27.1% $19

Getting Around

Van

$8 * 0.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 440% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $469 in Van versus $836 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Van versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $258 – making Van the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Van

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:51 2:51 PM

12:51 12:51 PM

2 h behind Van

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,141,015

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Van Budapest 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Van
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

Van vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,434 per month in Van and $2,457 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Van, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $469 there versus $836 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Van and $61 in Budapest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

It depends on your priorities. Budapest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $956 in Van to $1,638 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.