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Budapest vs Pécs

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Budapest edges it, 73 to 70, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Budapest is stronger on internet; Pécs on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 5.2 of 73 points (scores 47/100)Safety: 8.9 of 73 points (scores 80/100)Healthcare: 8.1 of 73 points (scores 73/100)Internet: 9.4 of 73 points (scores 85/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 73 points (scores 78/100)Getting there & around: 9.4 of 73 points (scores 85/100)Climate: 4.6 of 73 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 9.9 of 73 points (scores 89/100)Quality of life: 8.8 of 73 points (scores 79/100)73
Budapest
out of 100

Thermal baths, ruin bars and low rents

Full Budapest profile →Where to stay in Budapest →
Cost of living: 5.0 of 70 points (scores 45/100)Safety: 8.9 of 70 points (scores 80/100)Healthcare: 8.1 of 70 points (scores 73/100)Internet: 8.2 of 70 points (scores 74/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 70 points (scores 78/100)Getting there & around: 8.9 of 70 points (scores 80/100)Climate: 4.6 of 70 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 9.1 of 70 points (scores 82/100)Quality of life: 8.8 of 70 points (scores 79/100)70
Pécs
out of 100

Hungary's sunny southern city of Roman tombs and Zsolnay tiles

Full Pécs profile →Where to stay in Pécs →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricBudapestPécs
Cost of living47 ✓45
Safety8080
Healthcare7373
Internet85 ✓74
Visa ease7878
Getting there & around85 ✓80
Climate4242
Air quality89 ✓82
Quality of life7979

Cost

MetricBudapestPécs
Monthly cost, one person$1,389 ✓$1,486
Central one-bedroom rent$1,009no data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricBudapestPécs
Homicides per 100k0.70.7
Political stability (0–100)74.574.5
UHC service coverage (0–100)8080
Life expectancy74.4 yrs74.4 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricBudapestPécs
Download91.7 Mbps ✓44.3 Mbps
Upload24.2 Mbps24.4 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricBudapestPécs
Nomad visaWhite Card (digital nomad residence permit)White Card (digital nomad residence permit)
Minimum income for the visa$3,368/mo$3,368/mo
Entry, US passport90 days90 days
Entry, EU passportunlimitedunlimited
Entry, UK passport90 days90 days

Getting there and around

MetricBudapestPécs
Non-stop airport destinations150150
Walkability (1–5, editorial)45 ✓
Transit (1–5, editorial)5 ✓3

Climate and air

MetricBudapestPécs
Comfortable months per year55
Annual mean PM2.510.1 µg/m³ ✓13 µg/m³

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Budapest or Pécs?
Budapest is cheaper: about $1,389 per month versus $1,486 for one person.
Is Budapest or Pécs safer?
Budapest scores higher on safety (80 vs 80), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Budapest or Pécs?
Budapest: a measured median of 91.7 Mbps versus 44.3 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

More comparisons

Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.