Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vilnius and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in Vilnius and in Budapest: $1,675 and $1,621 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Vilnius
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Vilnius Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Vilnius

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,675

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,675 per month in Vilnius vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Vilnius $1,675
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,529 per month in Vilnius vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Vilnius $2,529
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,382 per month in Vilnius vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Vilnius $3,382
Budapest $3,489

Vilnius costs about 3% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Vilnius and Budapest sit above the global median – Vilnius by 25%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.35 €11.91

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-4.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 €68.7

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

27.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 €8.18

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-7.93%

Cappuccino

$3.72 €3.32

$3.38 Ft 1,102

10.06%

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

$2.32 €2.07

$2.13 Ft 693

8.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.87 Ft 609

21.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.07

$3.75 Ft 1,222

51.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 €4.48

$3.57 Ft 1,163

40.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.13 Ft 369

29.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.84 Ft 600

-13.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.39 Ft 777

Eggs

$3.34 €2.98

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-12.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 €9.46

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-6.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.28 €7.38

$6.74 Ft 2,194

22.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.79 €10.51

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-19.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.84 Ft 598

5.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.01 Ft 654

-26.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.36 Ft 767

-25.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 €3.13

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-6.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.96 Ft 314

-7.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 €0.75

$1.03 Ft 335

-18.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.56 Ft 509

1.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.66 Ft 216

24.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.35 €5.66

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-20.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.74 €7.79

$6.01 Ft 1,956

45.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.30 Ft 422

36.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.08 Ft 677

-6.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.50 Ft 490

-26.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.40 €37.81

$27.61 Ft 8,991

53.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 €2.77

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-5.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.30 Ft 424

-4.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.89 €12.38

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-29.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.81 Ft 591

4.97%

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

$27.4K €24.4K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-6.50%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-6.60%

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

$224 €200

$170 Ft 55.3K

31.73%

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

$13.87 €12.37

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-42.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.19 €18.00

$23.42 Ft 7,628

-13.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.41 €37.81

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-35.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.84 €32.85

$19.18 Ft 6,245

92.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.05 €8.96

$9.52 Ft 3,101

5.57%

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

$641 €572

$537 Ft 174.8K

19.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-30.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.5 €86.1

$101 Ft 33.0K

-4.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.89

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-1.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 €83.7

$113 Ft 36.7K

-16.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$119 Ft 38.7K

7.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 €741

$805 Ft 262.2K

3.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 €556

$629 Ft 204.9K

-0.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,414 €1,260

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-8.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$995 €887

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-14.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,100 €5,439

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

8.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,307 €2,948

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-16.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,966 €1,752

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

20.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.99

6.43

-37.95%

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

Last update for Vilnius: 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

Vilnius

$623 37.7%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 1% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vilnius

$258 15.6%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 15.7% $41

Groceries & Markets

Vilnius

$256 15.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 0.6% $1.5

Eating Out

Vilnius

$236 14.3%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 4.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Vilnius

$162 9.8%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 4.3% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Vilnius

$63 3.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 36.4% $23

Getting Around

Vilnius

$56 3.4%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 22.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $831 in Vilnius 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 21% higher in Vilnius, 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 $77.0 in Vilnius versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $256 in Vilnius vs $258 in Budapest – so Vilnius wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Vilnius

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

06:54 6:54 AM

1 h behind Vilnius

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

581,475 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Vilnius Budapest 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Vilnius
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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

Vilnius vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vilnius is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,513 per month in Vilnius 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 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 54% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $641 per month in Vilnius and $537 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 $1,621, than in Vilnius at $1,675. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vilnius 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, Vilnius makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.