City comparison
Cost of living in Budapest vs Athens
One person needs about €1,220 a month in Budapest and €1,236 in Athens, rent included — Budapest is 1% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Athens the way you live in Budapest on €3,000, you need
€3,039/ month net
1% more than today (+€39)
- Budapest today
- Basket €1,220 · left over €1,780 (59%)
- Athens at the matched salary
- Basket €1,236 · left over €1,803 (59%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 138% over in Athens (adequate) vs 189% in Budapest. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇭🇺 Budapest
Thermal baths, cheap rent and a currency that makes euro income stretch.
Monthly budget: €1,220
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
🇬🇷 Athens
Cheapest euro-zone big city here, with the widest gap between local pay and expat pay.
Monthly budget: €1,236
Sources: ELSTAT + Eurostat, HICP & household budget survey (2025) · 164 community reports
Should you move to Budapest or Athens?
On salary, Budapest pays more for tech roles (€2,300 versus €1,700 a month), so the money left over after costs is €1,080 in Budapest at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €750 in Budapest against €700 in Athens. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Budapest at 78 and Athens at 71 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.