Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Akureyri and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,060 in Akureyri, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Akureyri

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,060

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Akureyri 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 Akureyri and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,060 per month in Akureyri vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Akureyri $3,060
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $4,123 per month in Akureyri vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Akureyri $4,123
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,186 per month in Akureyri vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Akureyri $5,186
Budapest $3,489

Akureyri costs about 89% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Akureyri and Budapest sit above the global median – Akureyri by 128%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.64 ISK 3,004

$13.99 Ft 4,551

76.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$133 ISK 16.2K

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

120.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$22.95 ISK 2,799

$9.96 Ft 3,241

130.42%

Cappuccino

$4.93 ISK 602

$3.38 Ft 1,100

45.86%

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

$3.44 ISK 420

$2.13 Ft 692

61.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 ISK 381

$1.87 Ft 608

66.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.08 ISK 1,352

$3.75 Ft 1,221

195.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.43 ISK 1,150

$3.57 Ft 1,162

164.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.77 ISK 338

$1.13 Ft 368

145.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 ISK 280

$1.84 Ft 599

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 ISK 388

$2.39 Ft 777

33.05%

Eggs

$7.93 ISK 967

$3.83 Ft 1,245

107.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.52 ISK 1,892

$11.33 Ft 3,686

36.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.79 ISK 3,024

$6.74 Ft 2,192

267.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

Banana (1kg)

$2.91 ISK 355

$2.01 Ft 653

44.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 ISK 426

$2.36 Ft 767

47.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 ISK 719

$3.77 Ft 1,226

56.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.61 ISK 1,660

$7.96 Ft 2,591

70.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 ISK 307

$1.81 Ft 591

39.23%

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

$41.1K ISK 5.0M

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

40.23%

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

$66.4K ISK 8.1M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

94.78%

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

$124 ISK 15.1K

$170 Ft 55.3K

-27.16%

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

$26.03 ISK 3,174

$23.98 Ft 7,802

8.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$162 ISK 19.7K

$23.42 Ft 7,621

590.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$86.8 ISK 10.6K

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

30.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$15.18 ISK 1,852

$9.52 Ft 3,098

59.45%

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

$364 ISK 44.3K

$537 Ft 174.6K

-32.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.6 ISK 10.1K

$101 Ft 33.0K

-18.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 ISK 15.0K

$113 Ft 36.7K

9.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 ISK 219.5K

$805 Ft 262.0K

123.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,787 ISK 217.9K

$629 Ft 204.7K

183.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 ISK 262.6K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

84.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,605 ISK 805.5K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

17.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,467 ISK 788.7K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

62.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.4

6.43

46.19%

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

Last update for Akureyri: 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

Akureyri

–

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Groceries & Markets

Akureyri

–

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Eating Out

Akureyri

–

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Akureyri

–

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Akureyri

–

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Akureyri

–

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Getting Around

Akureyri

–

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,800 in Akureyri versus $805 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $133 in Akureyri versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Akureyri

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

2 h ahead of Akureyri

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,219

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.31 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.31 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Akureyri Budapest 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Akureyri
Budapest

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

Akureyri vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Akureyri is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,590 per month in Akureyri and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $133 in Akureyri and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Akureyri, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Akureyri at $3,060. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Akureyri it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Akureyri makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.