Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Veliko Tarnovo and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Veliko Tarnovo: $1,006 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Veliko Tarnovo
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Veliko Tarnovo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Veliko Tarnovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,006

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,006 per month in Veliko Tarnovo vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Veliko Tarnovo $1,006
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,574 per month in Veliko Tarnovo vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Veliko Tarnovo $1,574
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,141 per month in Veliko Tarnovo vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Veliko Tarnovo $2,141
Budapest $3,429

Veliko Tarnovo is about 38% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Veliko Tarnovo sits 25% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 BGN 19.46

$13.94 Ft 4,523

-20.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.76 BGN 69.6

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

-35.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.61 BGN 16.83

$10.19 Ft 3,306

-5.69%

Cappuccino

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$3.26 Ft 1,059

-43.25%

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

$1.31 BGN 2.30

$2.14 Ft 694

-38.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$1.78 Ft 579

-50.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 BGN 3.55

$3.71 Ft 1,204

-45.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 BGN 4.88

$3.77 Ft 1,223

-25.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 BGN 3.25

$1.15 Ft 372

61.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 BGN 1.85

$1.79 Ft 580

-41.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 BGN 4.34

$2.49 Ft 807

-0.40%

Eggs

$3.67 BGN 6.43

$3.90 Ft 1,266

-5.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 BGN 17.81

$11.10 Ft 3,604

-8.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.00 BGN 14.00

$6.62 Ft 2,149

20.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.43 BGN 21.76

$14.69 Ft 4,767

-15.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 BGN 2.80

$1.83 Ft 594

-12.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.59

$2.05 Ft 664

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 BGN 3.43

$2.37 Ft 769

-17.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 BGN 4.51

$3.90 Ft 1,266

-33.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 BGN 1.91

$0.99 Ft 322

10.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 BGN 2.05

$1.00 Ft 323

17.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 BGN 1.71

$1.58 Ft 513

-37.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 BGN 1.27

$0.67 Ft 217

8.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 BGN 7.17

$7.96 Ft 2,584

-48.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.72 BGN 11.75

$6.22 Ft 2,018

8.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 BGN 2.11

$1.27 Ft 413

-4.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 BGN 2.81

$2.03 Ft 657

-20.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 BGN 1.57

$1.52 Ft 492

-40.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.23 BGN 40.65

$28.02 Ft 9,095

-17.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 BGN 2.03

$3.31 Ft 1,075

-64.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 BGN 1.18

$1.37 Ft 444

-51.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.18 BGN 19.57

$19.83 Ft 6,436

-43.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.82 Ft 591

-14.29%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.4K

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

2.40%

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

$30.6K BGN 53.6K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-9.45%

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

$95.9 BGN 168

$171 Ft 55.5K

-43.99%

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

$18.81 BGN 32.92

$23.51 Ft 7,631

-19.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.86 BGN 27.75

$23.29 Ft 7,560

-31.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.50 BGN 53.4

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

-54.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.69 BGN 34.46

$18.89 Ft 6,133

4.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 BGN 12.08

$9.30 Ft 3,018

-25.70%

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

$533 Ft 173.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.95 BGN 82.2

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

-52.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.58 BGN 53.5

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

-29.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 BGN 214

$110 Ft 35.8K

10.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.1 BGN 163

$119 Ft 38.6K

-21.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 BGN 614

$830 Ft 269.6K

-57.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 BGN 456

$622 Ft 201.9K

-58.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$572 BGN 1,000

$1,594 Ft 517.2K

-64.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 BGN 735

$1,170 Ft 379.9K

-64.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 BGN 4,211

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-58.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,364 BGN 2,387

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-64.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$952 BGN 1,666

$1,651 Ft 535.9K

-42.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.74

6.45

-57.52%

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

Last update for Veliko Tarnovo: 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

Veliko Tarnovo

$260 25.9%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 139% $362

Groceries & Markets

Veliko Tarnovo

$244 24.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 5.9% $14

Eating Out

Veliko Tarnovo

$164 16.3%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 35.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Veliko Tarnovo

$132 13.1%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 27.2% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Veliko Tarnovo

$131 13%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 67% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Veliko Tarnovo

$44 4.4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 94.4% $42

Getting Around

Veliko Tarnovo

$31 3.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 41.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $351 in Veliko Tarnovo 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.

Salaries run about 73% 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 $40.00 in Veliko Tarnovo versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $258 – making Veliko Tarnovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Veliko Tarnovo

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

23:44 11:44 PM

1 h behind Veliko Tarnovo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,150

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Veliko Tarnovo Budapest 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Veliko Tarnovo
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

Veliko Tarnovo vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,509 per month in Veliko Tarnovo 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 Veliko Tarnovo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Veliko Tarnovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Veliko Tarnovo, where all-in costs run around $1,006, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Veliko Tarnovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Veliko Tarnovo – 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 Veliko Tarnovo. 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.