City comparison
Cost of living in Budapest vs Kraków
One person needs about €1,220 a month in Budapest and €1,260 in Kraków, rent included — Budapest is 3% 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 Kraków the way you live in Budapest on €3,000, you need
€3,098/ month net
3% more than today (+€98)
- Budapest today
- Basket €1,220 · left over €1,780 (59%)
- Kraków at the matched salary
- Basket €1,260 · left over €1,838 (59%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 222% over in Kraków (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
🇵🇱 Kraków
Warsaw salaries in a smaller, cheaper, prettier city.
Monthly budget: €1,260
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
Should you move to Budapest or Kraków?
On salary, Kraków pays more for tech roles (€2,800 versus €2,300 a month), so the money left over after costs is €1,540 in Kraków at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €750 in Budapest against €780 in Kraków. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Budapest at 78 and Kraków at 81 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.