City comparison
Cost of living in Budapest vs Bucharest
One person needs about €1,220 a month in Budapest and €1,095 in Bucharest, rent included — Bucharest is 10% 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 Bucharest the way you live in Budapest on €3,000, you need
€2,693/ month net
10% less than today (-€307)
- Budapest today
- Basket €1,220 · left over €1,780 (59%)
- Bucharest at the matched salary
- Basket €1,095 · left over €1,598 (59%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 237% over in Bucharest (very strong) 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
🇷🇴 Bucharest
Europe's fastest internet and lowest utility bills, with a booming IT sector.
Monthly budget: €1,095
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
Should you move to Budapest or Bucharest?
On salary, Bucharest pays more for tech roles (€2,600 versus €2,300 a month), so the money left over after costs is €1,505 in Bucharest at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €750 in Budapest against €650 in Bucharest. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Budapest at 78 and Bucharest at 77 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.