Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alges and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,009 in Alges, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alges outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Alges
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Alges Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Alges

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,009

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,009 per month in Alges vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Alges $2,009
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,853 per month in Alges vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Alges $2,853
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,697 per month in Alges vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Alges $3,697
Budapest $3,429

Alges costs about 24% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Alges and Budapest sit above the global median – Alges by 49%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 €13.66

$13.94 Ft 4,503

10.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 €48.68

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-10.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 €8.37

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-7.65%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.35

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-19.02%

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

$2.35 €2.09

$2.14 Ft 690

9.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.78 Ft 577

26.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.01

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-8.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 €4.93

$3.77 Ft 1,217

46.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.15 Ft 371

-9.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.79 Ft 578

9.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.49 Ft 804

-10.44%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.04

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-12.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 €9.63

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-2.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.10 €6.31

$6.62 Ft 2,139

7.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.95 €13.30

$14.69 Ft 4,745

1.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$1.83 Ft 591

55.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.05 Ft 661

-33.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.37 Ft 765

-24.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-42.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$0.99 Ft 320

57.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.00 Ft 322

123.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.58 Ft 511

-2.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.69

$0.67 Ft 216

16.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.67 €5.05

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-28.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 €4.35

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-21.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.27 Ft 411

-8.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.03 Ft 654

52.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.52 Ft 490

48.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.01 €39.15

$28.02 Ft 9,053

57.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 €4.06

$3.31 Ft 1,070

37.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.37 Ft 442

-27.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.84 €15.87

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-10.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.82 Ft 589

12.64%

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

$33.8K €30.1K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

13.41%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

12.73%

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

$137 €122

$171 Ft 55.3K

-20.17%

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

$24.63 €21.91

$23.51 Ft 7,596

4.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 €50.1

$23.29 Ft 7,526

141.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.85 €39.89

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-33.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.11 €15.22

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-9.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.20 €6.40

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-22.58%

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

$597 €531

$533 Ft 172.3K

11.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

11.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 €68.3

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-22.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.38 €29.69

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-23.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 €80.6

$110 Ft 35.7K

-17.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.8 €84.3

$119 Ft 38.4K

-20.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 €1,103

$830 Ft 268.3K

49.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 €938

$622 Ft 200.9K

69.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,047 €1,821

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

28.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,386

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

33.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,991 €2,660

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-48.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,264 €2,014

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-41.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 €1,093

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-25.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

6.45

-43.10%

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

Last update for Alges: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alges

$1.1K 52.5%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 41% $433

Groceries & Markets

Alges

$253 12.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 2.1% $5.3

Eating Out

Alges

$229 11.4%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 2.7% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alges

$218 10.8%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 0.2% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Alges

$133 6.6%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 26% $35

Getting Around

Alges

$63 3.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 29.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Alges

$59 3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 45.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Alges versus $830 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 34% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Alges versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $258 – making Alges the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Alges

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:39 2:39 PM

15:39 3:39 PM

1 h ahead of Alges

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,327

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Alges Budapest 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Alges
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

Alges vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,009 in Alges, $1,619 in Budapest – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,013 per month in Alges and $2,428 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.

Kindergarten costs $597 per month in Alges and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Alges – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Alges at $2,009. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alges it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Alges has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,619 in Budapest to $2,009 in Alges. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Alges makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.