Should you visit Belgrade or Budapest?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel cost comparison between Belgrade and Budapest can help. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital city of the Republic of Serbia. Dating back to the 4th Century BC, is has seen many changes from Celtic tribes at its earliest beginnings to Roman rule, the Ottoman Empire, and Serbian independence. Relics of its past can be seen today in Belgrade's architecture and museums, while there are also a host of contemporary activities like nightlife, clubs, cafes, and concerts.
Budapest
Budapest is the capital city of Hungary. It has been called the "Paris of the East" because of its impressive architecture and general beauty. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987 because of its cultural importance, its location on the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrassy Avenue. In addition to its rich history, Budapest still has a young vibe with a lot of energy. There's an active night life, an impressive music scene, and a good reputation with European youth.
Which city is cheaper, Budapest or Belgrade?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Belgrade is $38, while the average daily cost in Budapest is $84. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Belgrade and Budapest in more detail.
Accommodation
The average price for accommodation for two people in Belgrade is $52. This is for two people sharing a typical double occupancy hotel room.
Double occupancy rooms typically run around $92 in Budapest For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
While meal prices in Belgrade can vary, the average travelers spends about $7.85 per day on food. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out, an average meal in Belgrade should cost around $3.14 per person. Breakfast prices are usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The price of food in sit-down restaurants in Belgrade is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.
Food in Budapest costs travelers about $21 per day on average. Restaurants can vary significantly in price, so choose wisely if you're trying to save money. Fast food and street stalls are typically your cheapest options, which sit down restaurants can be significantly more expensive.
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Food
Meals for one day
Belgrade $7.85
Budapest $21
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Belgrade
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Belgrade.
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VISIT SERBIA: Private Cooking Lesson in Belgrade:
$70
-
5-Hour Small Group Food Tour with Local Guide:
$85
-
Folklore night in Belgrade with dinner:
$191
Typical Food prices in Budapest
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Budapest:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Budapest
For Budapest, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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Lángos (hungarian streetfood) cooking class:
$19
-
Dinner & Cruise on the Danube in Budapest:
$23
-
Traveling Spoon Hungarian Goulash Private Online Cooking Class:
$27
-
3-Hour Dinner Cruise and Piano Battle Show:
$31
-
Vegan Food Tour / Local delights:
$36
-
Private Budapest Food Tour with a Local Foodie:
$37
-
Live from Hungarian Online Cooking class:
$39
-
Bitemojo Self Guided Food Tour Night & The City Budapest:
$47
-
Food Tour in Budapest:
$50
-
Bitemojo Self Guided Food Tour of Trendy Budapest:
$51
-
BBQ dinner and a Quiz Night - welcome shots (hungaricums) and 88 craft beers:
$52
-
2-Hours Strudel Cooking Class and Wine Tasting in Central Budapest:
$53
Local Transportation
While taxis and private drivers typically cost much more than public transportation, people usually spend around $4.73 per day to get around in Belgrade.
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Budapest than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend $9.99 on transportation in Budapest on average per day.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Belgrade
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Belgrade:
-
Private Transfer from Belgrade to Split with 2 Sightseeing Stops:
$520
-
Private Transfer from Belgrade to Split, Hotel-to-hotel, English-speaking driver:
$483
-
Belgrade - Budapest Transfer:
$349
-
Private transfer tour to Pristina with sightseeing:
$311
-
Private transfer tour to Sarajevo via Visegrad with sightseeing:
$311
-
Private Transfer from Belgrade to Zagreb with 2h of Sightseeing:
$278
-
Private transfer tour to Sarajevo via Sirmium with sightseeing:
$276
-
Belgrade to Timisoara transfer and walking city tour:
$261
-
Belgrade to Kopaonik taxi transfer:
$258
-
Belgrade to Zlatibor private transfer by car:
$218
-
Private transfer tour to Timisoara with sightseeing:
$197
-
Belgrade and Avala Mountain Full Day Layover Tour with Round-Trip Airport Transfer:
$185
Typical Local Transportation prices in Budapest
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Budapest:
-
Short Taxi Ride
$8.16
-
Metro Pass
$4.48
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Budapest
Also for Budapest, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Private Airport Transfer Service in Budapest, Hungary:
$18
-
Budapest Private Transfer: Hotel or Apartment to Airport:
$19
-
Transfer from Train Station/Pier to Hotel:
$19
-
Budapest Private Transfer: Airport to Hotel or Apartment:
$20
-
Budapest One Way Private Transfer to or from Airport:
$20
-
Private Departure Transfer: Budapest City - Budapest Airport:
$21
-
Private Arrival transfer from Budapest Airport to Budapest City Center:
$21
-
Private Transfer from Budapest City Center to Budapest Ferenc Liszt Airport(BUD):
$22
-
Private Airport Transfer: from Budapest to Budapest International Airport (BUD):
$22
-
Budapest Airport Private Departure Transfer : City to Airport:
$22
-
Private Transfer from Budapest city to Budapest Airport - departure:
$22
-
Private Transfer from Budapest Airport to the city - arrival:
$22
Is it cheaper to fly into Belgrade or Budapest?
Prices for flights to both Budapest and Belgrade change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Entertainment
Activities, things to do, and other forms of entertainment usually cost around $3.81 per person, per day in Belgrade. This cost includes the price of admission tickets to attractions and museums as well as daily tours.
Sightseeing expenses in Budapest, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of $21 per day, per person.
Tours and Activities in Belgrade
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Belgrade are as follows:
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3-Hour Belgrade Zemun Neighborhood Tour:
$50
-
Avala & Rakia tour:
$49
-
Avala&Kosmaj Bike Tour:
$73
-
BELGRADE BUS AND WALKING TOUR, Experience daily life:
$56
-
Belgrade 3 hour Tuktuk sightseeing tour (price per vehicle):
$149
-
Belgrade 4 hour walking tour:
$382
-
Belgrade 6 Bridges of Sava River Kayak Tour:
$41
-
Belgrade 90 minute Tuktuk sightseeing tour (price per vehicle):
$81
-
Belgrade Big Tour: Top Attractions and Belgrade Neighborhoods:
$62
-
Belgrade City Highlights Half-Day Panoramic Sightseeing Tour:
$33
-
Belgrade City Tour:
$38
-
Belgrade City Tour and Avala Mountain:
$50
Typical Entertainment prices in Budapest
For Budapest, here are some examples of average entertainment and activity prices from previous travelers:
Tours and Activities in Budapest
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Budapest.
-
Budapest Private Tour: Buda Castle District Exploration Game:
$3.72
-
Discovering Explore the city's hot pools and heroes on an audio tour:
$5.00
-
Private Budapest Ghost Tour: Haunted City Exploration Game:
$5.65
-
Digital 100-Sights City Tour:
$5.67
-
Urban Tour of the Outer viii district Budapest:
$6.22
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Guided Tour in Budapest Castle District:
$6.22
-
The Legendary Vampires at the Castle's Court Audio Tour:
$6.59
-
Alternative Street Tip Based Walking Tour of Budapest:
$6.77
-
Aeropark Admission Ticket:
$6.91
-
Budapest Downtown and Inner City E-Scooter Tour:
$7.46
-
Skip the Line: Aeropark Aviation Museum Entrance Ticket:
$8.01
-
Robert Capa Contemporary Photograhy Center Visit Ticket:
$8.71
Alcohol
The average person spends about $18 on alcoholic beverages in Belgrade per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
Alcoholic beverages can often be a significant portion of a traveler's budget, and the costs can vary greatly from person to person. In Budapest, the average amount that a visitor spends on alcoholic beverages per day is $16.
Sample the Local Flavors in Belgrade
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Belgrade:
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BEERgrade Pub Crawl Tour:
$24
-
Belgrade Pub Crawl (by Belgrade Nightlife Tours):
$37
-
Belgrade Unique Local Wine Tasting Tour (By Belgrade Nightlife Tours):
$37
-
Belgrade Wine Tasting:
$42
-
Pearl of North Serbia, trip to Novi Sad and Sremski Karlovci with wine tasting:
$52
-
Novi Sad and Sremski Karlovci Wine Tour From Belgrade:
$68
-
From Sremski Karlovci & Novi Sad with Wine Tasting in a cellar:
$75
-
Oplenac Royal Complex and Wine Tasting Full Day Tour from Belgrade:
$93
-
Day trip from Serbian Wine Story - Wine Tasting in Sumadija Region:
$131
-
Private Day Trip from Avala and Royal Town Topola with Wine Tasting:
$137
-
Private Day Trip from Viminacium & Smederevo Fort with Wine Tasting:
$149
-
Private Wine Tour in Royal Region:
$157
Sample the Local Flavors in Budapest
Also in Budapest, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
-
Bingo Bar Crawl:
$15
-
Bingo Bar Crawl:
$15
-
Original Budapest Pub Crawl and VIP Club Entrance:
$16
-
Ultimate Ruin Pub Crawl:
$18
-
Generation Pub Crawl Budapest:
$19
-
Ruin Pub Crawl - Your Keys to the Nightlife of Budapest:
$21
-
Budapest Pub Crawl:
$24
-
Pest side Pub Crawl - Unlimited drinks for an hour, discover hidden ruin pubs:
$25
-
Re-opening Pub Crawls 2020 Summer-Autumn:
$25
-
Budapest Pub Crawl with Skip-the-Line Access:
$26
-
Epic Local Insider Pub Crawl in Budapest - Every weekend:
$30
-
Party Cruise with Pub Crawl option:
$37
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Belgrade and Budapest, we can see that Budapest is more expensive. And not only is Belgrade much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Belgrade would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Belgrade and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Budapest would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Budapest than you might in Belgrade.
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