Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Viljandi and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Viljandi: $1,245 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Viljandi
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Viljandi Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Viljandi

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,245

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,245 per month in Viljandi vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Viljandi $1,245
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,979 per month in Viljandi vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Viljandi $1,979
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,713 per month in Viljandi vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Viljandi $2,713
Budapest $3,429

Viljandi is about 23% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Viljandi sits 8% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.81

$13.94 Ft 4,503

19.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.8 €80.8

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

48.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 €10.57

$10.19 Ft 3,291

16.68%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.82

$3.26 Ft 1,055

31.60%

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

$2.22 €1.97

$2.14 Ft 690

3.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.78 Ft 577

25.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.75 €6.00

$3.71 Ft 1,198

81.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 €5.92

$3.77 Ft 1,217

76.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.15 Ft 371

-3.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.79 Ft 578

-21.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.49 Ft 804

16.87%

Eggs

$3.24 €2.88

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-16.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.26 €10.02

$11.10 Ft 3,587

1.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.92 €7.94

$6.62 Ft 2,139

34.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.49 €23.56

$14.69 Ft 4,745

80.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.83 Ft 591

26.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.05 Ft 661

-29.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.37 Ft 765

10.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 €2.53

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-27.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 €0.65

$0.99 Ft 320

-26.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 €0.71

$1.00 Ft 322

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.58 Ft 511

28.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.67 Ft 216

34.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.77 €6.03

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-14.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.92 €8.83

$6.22 Ft 2,009

59.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.27 Ft 411

49.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.03 Ft 654

0.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 €5.61

$3.31 Ft 1,070

90.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.37 Ft 442

-16.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.96 €23.09

$19.83 Ft 6,406

30.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.82 Ft 589

9.89%

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

$27.5K €24.5K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-7.55%

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

$32.8K €29.1K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-3.11%

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

$345 €307

$171 Ft 55.3K

101.65%

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

$17.62 €15.68

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-25.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.87 €28.35

$23.29 Ft 7,526

36.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.14 €29.48

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-50.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 €12.08

$9.30 Ft 3,004

46.02%

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

$666 €592

$533 Ft 172.3K

24.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €9,012

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-39.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.0

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

1.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 €45.25

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

16.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 €107

$110 Ft 35.7K

9.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €122

$119 Ft 38.4K

14.86%

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 %)

3.44

6.45

-46.67%

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

Last update for Viljandi: 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

Viljandi

$395 31.7%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 44.8% $177

Groceries & Markets

Viljandi

$309 24.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 16.4% $51

Eating Out

Viljandi

$285 22.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 21.8% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Viljandi

$184 14.8%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Viljandi

$60 4.8%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 42.8% $26

Getting Around

Viljandi

$12 * 1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 268% $32

Accommodation & Living

Viljandi

- * 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 $91.0 in Viljandi versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $309 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Viljandi

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

17:50 5:50 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

1 h behind Viljandi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,100

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Viljandi Budapest 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Viljandi
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

Viljandi vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,867 per month in Viljandi and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Viljandi and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Viljandi, where all-in costs run around $1,245, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Viljandi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Viljandi – 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 Viljandi. 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.