Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varna and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Varna: $1,411 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Varna
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Varna Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,411

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,411 per month in Varna vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Varna $1,411
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,231 per month in Varna vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Varna $2,231
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,050 per month in Varna vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Varna $3,050
Budapest $3,489

Varna is about 13% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Varna and Budapest sit above the global median – Varna by 5%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.63 BGN 22.11

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-9.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 BGN 106

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-0.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.49 BGN 18.36

$9.96 Ft 3,244

5.32%

Cappuccino

$2.93 BGN 5.12

$3.38 Ft 1,102

-13.31%

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

$1.95 BGN 3.42

$2.13 Ft 693

-8.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 BGN 2.79

$1.87 Ft 609

-14.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.90 BGN 5.07

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-22.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 BGN 6.21

$3.57 Ft 1,163

-0.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 BGN 3.46

$1.13 Ft 369

75.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 BGN 2.18

$1.84 Ft 600

-32.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 BGN 4.68

$2.39 Ft 777

11.72%

Eggs

$3.46 BGN 6.06

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-9.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 20.08

$11.33 Ft 3,689

1.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 BGN 16.40

$6.74 Ft 2,194

39.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.95 BGN 24.41

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-5.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$1.84 Ft 598

4.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 BGN 3.66

$2.01 Ft 654

3.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 BGN 3.75

$2.36 Ft 767

-9.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 BGN 5.03

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-23.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 BGN 2.21

$0.96 Ft 314

31.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$1.03 Ft 335

0.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 BGN 1.85

$1.56 Ft 509

-32.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 BGN 1.36

$0.66 Ft 216

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 BGN 6.86

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-50.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.58 BGN 15.01

$6.01 Ft 1,956

42.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 BGN 2.12

$1.30 Ft 422

-6.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.32

$2.08 Ft 677

-8.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$1.50 Ft 490

-38.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.12 BGN 51.0

$27.61 Ft 8,991

5.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 BGN 2.70

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-53.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.30 Ft 424

-34.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.18 BGN 21.32

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-38.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 BGN 3.06

$1.81 Ft 591

-3.31%

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

$29.6K BGN 51.8K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

0.97%

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

$25.9K BGN 45.2K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-24.20%

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

$173 BGN 302

$170 Ft 55.3K

1.71%

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

$21.09 BGN 36.91

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-12.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 BGN 28.17

$23.42 Ft 7,628

-31.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 BGN 89.9

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-22.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.87 BGN 34.78

$19.18 Ft 6,245

3.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.75 BGN 15.31

$9.52 Ft 3,101

-8.09%

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

$508 BGN 890

$537 Ft 174.8K

-5.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,188 BGN 10.8K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-62.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.1 BGN 114

$101 Ft 33.0K

-35.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.76 BGN 59.1

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-21.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 BGN 172

$113 Ft 36.7K

-12.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 BGN 177

$119 Ft 38.7K

-14.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$636 BGN 1,112

$805 Ft 262.2K

-21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 BGN 825

$629 Ft 204.9K

-25.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 BGN 2,358

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-13.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$918 BGN 1,606

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-21.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,051 BGN 5,339

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-45.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,166 BGN 3,791

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-45.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,263 BGN 2,211

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-22.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.85

6.43

-55.68%

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

Last update for Varna: 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

Varna

$471 33.7%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 33.5% $158

Groceries & Markets

Varna

$271 19.4%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 5.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varna

$210 15%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 3.5% $7.3

Eating Out

Varna

$203 14.6%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 10.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Varna

$134 9.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 25.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Varna

$69 4.9%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 23.8% $16

Getting Around

Varna

$39 2.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 12.3% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $636 in Varna 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 29% 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 $60.0 in Varna versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $271 in Varna vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Varna

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

03:05 3:05 AM

1 h behind Varna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,058

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

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 BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Varna Budapest 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Varna
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

Varna vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,117 per month in Varna 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 Varna, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Varna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $508 per month in Varna and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Varna, where all-in costs run around $1,411, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Varna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Varna – 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 Varna. 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.