Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballarat and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $1,902 in Ballarat, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
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Ballarat Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,902

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,902 in Ballarat versus $1,619 in Budapest.

Ballarat $1,902
Budapest $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,035 in Ballarat versus $2,524 in Budapest.

Ballarat $3,035
Budapest $2,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,168 in Ballarat versus $3,429 in Budapest.

Ballarat $4,168
Budapest $3,429

Living in Ballarat is roughly 18% more expensive than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ballarat 41% above, Budapest 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.70 A$25.47

$13.94 Ft 4,503

26.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 A$101

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

14.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 A$14.78

$10.19 Ft 3,291

0.79%

Cappuccino

$3.79 A$5.45

$3.26 Ft 1,055

16.26%

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

$2.95 A$4.24

$2.14 Ft 690

37.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 A$2.72

$1.78 Ft 577

6.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 A$8.72

$3.71 Ft 1,198

63.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 A$8.77

$3.77 Ft 1,217

61.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.27

$1.15 Ft 371

36.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.82

$1.79 Ft 578

48.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.35

$2.49 Ft 804

-6.83%

Eggs

$4.09 A$5.88

$3.90 Ft 1,261

4.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 A$15.20

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-4.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 A$14.33

$6.62 Ft 2,139

50.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 A$21.55

$14.69 Ft 4,745

1.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 A$5.04

$1.83 Ft 591

91.80%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.05 Ft 661

47.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.48

$2.37 Ft 765

31.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 A$6.73

$3.90 Ft 1,260

20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.42

$0.99 Ft 320

210.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.67

$1.00 Ft 322

155.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.38

$1.58 Ft 511

48.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 A$2.14

$0.67 Ft 216

120.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.39 A$49.49

$7.96 Ft 2,572

332.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$6.22 Ft 2,009

103.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.27 Ft 411

81.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 A$4.48

$2.03 Ft 654

53.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 A$3.97

$1.52 Ft 490

81.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.9 A$101

$28.02 Ft 9,053

149.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 A$3.65

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-23.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$1.93

$1.37 Ft 442

-2.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.64 A$38.33

$19.83 Ft 6,406

34.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.70

$1.82 Ft 589

-35.16%

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

$28.4K A$40.9K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-4.57%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-23.12%

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

$206 A$296

$171 Ft 55.3K

20.13%

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

$27.76 A$39.95

$23.51 Ft 7,596

18.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 A$82.6

$23.29 Ft 7,526

146.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 A$45.13

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-53.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.18 A$16.09

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-40.82%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$22.14

$9.30 Ft 3,004

65.38%

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

$2,144 A$3,085

$533 Ft 172.3K

302.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

80.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 A$98.8

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-31.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 A$72.2

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

15.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 A$143

$110 Ft 35.7K

-9.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$119 Ft 38.4K

12.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 A$1,329

$830 Ft 268.3K

11.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 A$965

$622 Ft 200.9K

7.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 A$1,854

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-19.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,454 A$2,092

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

24.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 A$6,651

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-20.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,449 A$4,963

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-11.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,136 A$4,512

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

89.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.55

6.45

-13.95%

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

Last update for Ballarat: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballarat

$671 35.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 7.3% $49

Groceries & Markets

Ballarat

$350 18.4%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 26.4% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballarat

$291 15.3%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 25% $73

Eating Out

Ballarat

$280 14.7%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 20.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Ballarat

$158 8.3%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 5.7% $9.1

Getting Around

Ballarat

$90 4.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 50.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Ballarat

$62 3.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 38.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $923 in Ballarat and $830 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays 90% 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: $70.0 in Ballarat vs $61.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $258 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

20:09 8:09 PM

9 h behind Ballarat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,348

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Ballarat Budapest 15,460 km ≈ 20 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

Ballarat vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Ballarat. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Budapest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 90% higher in Ballarat, 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: $923 in Ballarat versus $830 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,144 in Ballarat versus $533 in Budapest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Ballarat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,619 in Budapest versus $1,902 in Ballarat, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Ballarat. The gap between the two cities makes Budapest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Budapest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,619 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Budapest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ballarat 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 18% less than in Ballarat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.