Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adelaide and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,622 in Adelaide, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
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Adelaide Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,622

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Adelaide and in Budapest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Adelaide and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,622 in Adelaide versus $1,621 in Budapest.

Adelaide $2,622
Budapest $1,621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,683 in Adelaide versus $2,555 in Budapest.

Adelaide $3,683
Budapest $2,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,744 in Adelaide versus $3,489 in Budapest.

Adelaide $4,744
Budapest $3,489

Living in Adelaide is roughly 62% more expensive than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Adelaide 96% above, Budapest 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 A$25.44

$13.99 Ft 4,555

26.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 A$106

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

21.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 A$16.46

$9.96 Ft 3,244

15.06%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.79

$3.38 Ft 1,102

19.23%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.13 Ft 693

24.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 A$3.48

$1.87 Ft 609

29.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 A$11.13

$3.75 Ft 1,222

106.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 A$12.14

$3.57 Ft 1,163

136.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 A$2.79

$1.13 Ft 369

72.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 A$4.12

$1.84 Ft 600

55.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.20

$2.39 Ft 777

-7.11%

Eggs

$5.96 A$8.55

$3.83 Ft 1,246

55.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.94 A$15.72

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-3.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.60 A$12.35

$6.74 Ft 2,194

27.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 A$26.41

$14.69 Ft 4,784

25.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.63

$1.84 Ft 598

113.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.29

$2.01 Ft 654

48.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.81

$2.36 Ft 767

41.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 A$7.20

$3.77 Ft 1,227

32.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.81

$0.96 Ft 314

248.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.03 Ft 335

137.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.56 Ft 509

58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 A$3.07

$0.66 Ft 216

224.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.98 A$63.2

$7.96 Ft 2,594

452.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 A$19.95

$6.01 Ft 1,956

131.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.65

$1.30 Ft 422

310.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 A$9.01

$2.08 Ft 677

201.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.09 A$4.44

$1.50 Ft 490

106.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.3 A$121

$27.61 Ft 8,991

205.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 A$4.88

$3.30 Ft 1,075

3.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 A$2.43

$1.30 Ft 424

30.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.64 A$44.01

$19.78 Ft 6,442

54.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.96

$1.81 Ft 591

-24.31%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.0K A$38.8K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-7.86%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.5K A$39.5K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-19.35%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$177 A$255

$170 Ft 55.3K

4.32%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$22.90 A$32.90

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-4.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.7

$23.42 Ft 7,628

136.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 A$85.6

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-9.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.95 A$20.03

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-27.27%

Cinema Ticket

$16.75 A$24.07

$9.52 Ft 3,101

75.95%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,079 A$2,986

$537 Ft 174.8K

287.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K A$20.7K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-13.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 A$104

$101 Ft 33.0K

-28.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 A$78.0

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

26.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$165

$113 Ft 36.7K

2.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 A$202

$119 Ft 38.7K

18.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,686 A$2,421

$805 Ft 262.2K

109.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 A$1,829

$629 Ft 204.9K

102.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,423 A$3,481

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

56.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 A$2,634

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

57.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.2K A$14.6K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

81.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,932 A$9,957

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

74.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,892 A$5,590

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

139.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

6.43

-7.93%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Adelaide: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.8%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 50.6% $644

Groceries & Markets

Adelaide

$405 15.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 36.4% $148

Eating Out

Adelaide

$300 11.5%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 25.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Adelaide

$256 9.8%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 15% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Adelaide

$172 6.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 1.7% $3

Getting Around

Adelaide

$109 4.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 60% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Adelaide

$93 3.6%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 8.4% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,686 in Adelaide and $805 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Adelaide pays 139% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $74.0 in Adelaide vs $60.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $258 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:11 2:11 PM

05:41 5:41 AM

8 h 30 min behind Adelaide

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,011

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Adelaide Budapest 14,910 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Adelaide vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Adelaide and Budapest differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($2,622 vs $1,621 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 139% higher in Adelaide, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,686 in Adelaide versus $805 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,079 in Adelaide versus $537 in Budapest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Adelaide. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,621 in Budapest versus $2,622 in Adelaide, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Adelaide. The gap between the two cities makes Budapest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Adelaide and Budapest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Budapest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Adelaide. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.