Cost of Living · HU vs PL
🇭🇺 Budapest vs 🇵🇱 Warsaw: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,074 in Hungary vs $1,039 in Poland — 3.28% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Poland
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -3.76%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -3.76%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -3.76%
Closest to Hungary prices
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -1.09%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -1.1%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -1.14%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Hungary | Poland | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $697 | $671 (2,522 PLN) | -3.76% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $557 | $536 (2,018 PLN) | -3.76% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,274 | $1,226 (4,612 PLN) | -3.76% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.73 | $8.47 (32 PLN) | -2.98% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $36.38 | $35.30 (133 PLN) | -2.97% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.70 | $5.54 (21 PLN) | -2.81% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.65 | $0.64 (2 PLN) | -1.54% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.89 | $1.85 (7 PLN) | -2.12% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.01 | $1.97 (7 PLN) | -1.99% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.91 | $5.78 (22 PLN) | -2.2% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.36 | $2.31 (9 PLN) | -2.12% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.84 | $2.77 (10 PLN) | -2.46% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $7.09 | $6.94 (26 PLN) | -2.12% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.18 | $1.16 (4 PLN) | -1.69% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.91 | $2.82 (11 PLN) | -3.09% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.15 | $6.08 (23 PLN) | -1.14% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.43 | $2.35 (9 PLN) | -3.29% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.36 | $1.33 (5 PLN) | -2.21% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $33.67 | $32.76 (123 PLN) | -2.7% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.42 | $1.39 (5 PLN) | -2.11% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.94 | $1.88 (7 PLN) | -3.09% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.87 | $0.85 (3 PLN) | -2.3% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.73 | $0.72 (3 PLN) | -1.37% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $104 | $101 (379 PLN) | -2.7% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $36.26 | $35.28 (133 PLN) | -2.7% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $23.31 | $22.68 (85 PLN) | -2.7% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $24.25 | $23.53 (89 PLN) | -2.97% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.79 | $6.59 (25 PLN) | -2.95% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $14.55 | $14.12 (53 PLN) | -2.96% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $42.28 | $41.82 (157 PLN) | -1.09% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $69.18 | $68.42 (257 PLN) | -1.1% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $121 | $118 (443 PLN) | -2.97% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Poland than Hungary?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,039 in Poland versus $1,074 in Hungary — 3.28% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Poland?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.82 in Poland (≈ 10.61 PLN), versus about $2.91 in Hungary.
- How much is rent in Poland compared to Hungary?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $671/month in Poland versus $697/month in Hungary (-3.76%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.