Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ventspils and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Ventspils: $937 a month against $1,619 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 Ventspils
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Ventspils Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Ventspils

🇱🇻 Latvia

$937

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $937 per month in Ventspils vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Ventspils $937
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,459 per month in Ventspils vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Ventspils $1,459
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,981 per month in Ventspils vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Ventspils $1,981
Budapest $3,429

Ventspils is about 42% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Ventspils sits 31% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.21 €11.75

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-5.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 €48.82

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-10.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 €7.54

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-16.88%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.23

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-23.31%

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

$1.66 €1.47

$2.14 Ft 690

-22.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.78 Ft 577

-33.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 €3.07

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-7.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.13

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-36.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.15 Ft 371

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.79 Ft 578

-39.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$2.49 Ft 804

-4.02%

Eggs

$3.10 €2.76

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-20.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 €9.35

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-5.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 €7.58

$6.62 Ft 2,139

28.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 €12.31

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-5.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.83 Ft 591

18.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.05 Ft 661

-12.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.37 Ft 765

2.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.85

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-17.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.99 Ft 320

-12.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 €0.78

$1.00 Ft 322

-13.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.58 Ft 511

8.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$0.67 Ft 216

43.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.61 €5.88

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-16.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.71 €6.86

$6.22 Ft 2,009

23.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.27 Ft 411

59.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.03 Ft 654

-1.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.52 Ft 490

-27.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.76 €14.90

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-40.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 €3.00

$3.31 Ft 1,070

1.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.37 Ft 442

-27.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.70 €15.74

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-10.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.61

$1.82 Ft 589

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

$27.3K €24.3K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-8.51%

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

$31.2K €27.7K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-7.74%

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

$268 €239

$171 Ft 55.3K

56.71%

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

$16.50 €14.68

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-29.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.52 €14.69

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-29.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.78

$9.30 Ft 3,004

18.17%

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

$673 €598

$533 Ft 172.3K

26.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K €16.3K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

9.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 €61.6

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-30.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 €45.10

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

16.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 €60.3

$110 Ft 35.7K

-38.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 €89.1

$119 Ft 38.4K

-15.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.2

6.45

-34.88%

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

Last update for Ventspils: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ventspils

$301 32.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 27.6% $83

Groceries & Markets

Ventspils

$260 27.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 0.7% $1.9

Eating Out

Ventspils

$195 20.8%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 14.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Ventspils

$130 13.8%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 29.4% $38

Getting Around

Ventspils

$29 3.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 50.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Ventspils

$22 * 2.4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 292% $64

Accommodation & Living

Ventspils

- * 0%

Budapest

$622 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Ventspils versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Ventspils vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Ventspils

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

10:17 10:17 AM

1 h behind Ventspils

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,998

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

Ventspils Budapest 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ventspils
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

Ventspils vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,405 per month in Ventspils and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Ventspils. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $673 per month in Ventspils and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ventspils, where all-in costs run around $937, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ventspils it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ventspils – 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 Ventspils. 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.