Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varkaus and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $1,900 in Varkaus, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. The total is higher in Varkaus despite lower rent and utilities.

93

Cost of Living Index in Varkaus
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Varkaus Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Varkaus

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,900

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,900 per month in Varkaus vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Varkaus $1,900
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,063 per month in Varkaus vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Varkaus $3,063
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,225 per month in Varkaus vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Varkaus $4,225
Budapest $3,429

Varkaus costs about 17% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Varkaus and Budapest sit above the global median – Varkaus by 41%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.90 €14.14

$13.94 Ft 4,503

14.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €90.9

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

66.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 €10.52

$10.19 Ft 3,291

16.09%

Cappuccino

$5.28 €4.70

$3.26 Ft 1,055

61.96%

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

$3.46 €3.08

$2.14 Ft 690

61.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.78 Ft 577

52.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.74 €7.77

$3.71 Ft 1,198

135.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.66 €8.60

$3.77 Ft 1,217

156.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.15 Ft 371

24.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 €2.60

$1.79 Ft 578

63.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 €3.13

$2.49 Ft 804

40.96%

Eggs

$3.77 €3.35

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-3.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 €9.75

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-1.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.14 €14.36

$6.62 Ft 2,139

143.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.36 €19.89

$14.69 Ft 4,745

52.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.46

$1.83 Ft 591

51.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.05 Ft 661

0.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.31 €2.94

$2.37 Ft 765

39.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 €3.86

$3.90 Ft 1,260

11.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.99 Ft 320

28.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.00 Ft 322

72.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.58 Ft 511

28.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.72

$0.67 Ft 216

189.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.24 €10.88

$7.96 Ft 2,572

53.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 €11.98

$6.22 Ft 2,009

116.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.27 Ft 411

211.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 €4.38

$2.03 Ft 654

142.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.52 Ft 490

88.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 €49.04

$28.02 Ft 9,053

96.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.50 €8.45

$3.31 Ft 1,070

187.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.37 Ft 442

33.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.1 €45.47

$19.83 Ft 6,406

157.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.82 Ft 589

23.08%

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

$36.1K €32.1K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

21.15%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

12.16%

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

$109 €96.7

$171 Ft 55.3K

-36.49%

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

$28.10 €24.99

$23.51 Ft 7,596

19.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.26 €22.47

$23.29 Ft 7,526

8.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.53 €38.72

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-35.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.91 €19.49

$18.89 Ft 6,104

15.99%

Cinema Ticket

$17.63 €15.68

$9.30 Ft 3,004

89.57%

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

$323 €287

$533 Ft 172.3K

-39.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K €11.3K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-24.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$123 €109

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

23.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 €50.8

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

31.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 €85.1

$110 Ft 35.7K

-13.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$179 €160

$119 Ft 38.4K

50.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 €589

$830 Ft 268.3K

-20.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €575

$622 Ft 200.9K

3.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,338 €1,190

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-16.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,161 €1,033

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-0.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,875 €3,447

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-33.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,331 €2,074

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-40.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.51

6.45

-45.58%

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

Last update for Varkaus: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varkaus

$646 34%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 3.7% $24

Groceries & Markets

Varkaus

$410 21.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 37% $152

Eating Out

Varkaus

$314 16.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 28.9% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Varkaus

$205 10.8%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 18.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varkaus

$162 8.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 34.5% $56

Getting Around

Varkaus

$85 4.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 48.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Varkaus

$79 4.2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 9.3% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $662 in Varkaus versus $830 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 $102 in Varkaus versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $410 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Varkaus

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

1 h behind Varkaus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,257

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Varkaus Budapest 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Varkaus
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

Varkaus vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Varkaus is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,850 per month in Varkaus and $2,428 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 97% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $323 per month in Varkaus and $533 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 $1,619, than in Varkaus at $1,900. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Varkaus 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, Varkaus makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.