Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballina and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,462 in Ballina, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Ballina
Learn more

Ballina Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Ballina

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,462

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in Ballina vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Ballina $2,462
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,724 per month in Ballina vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Ballina $3,724
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,986 per month in Ballina vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Ballina $4,986
Budapest $3,429

Ballina costs about 52% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ballina and Budapest sit above the global median – Ballina by 82%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.33 A$24.93

$13.94 Ft 4,503

24.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.9 A$119

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

35.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 A$13.19

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-10.01%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.61

$3.26 Ft 1,055

19.63%

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

$2.84 A$4.08

$2.14 Ft 690

32.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.27

$1.78 Ft 577

27.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.59 A$10.93

$3.71 Ft 1,198

104.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 A$10.71

$3.77 Ft 1,217

97.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.15 Ft 371

131.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 A$4.67

$1.79 Ft 578

81.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.14

$2.49 Ft 804

-12.45%

Eggs

$5.69 A$8.18

$3.90 Ft 1,261

45.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.36 A$9.15

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-42.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 A$13.20

$6.62 Ft 2,139

38.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.05 A$21.66

$14.69 Ft 4,745

2.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 A$5.07

$1.83 Ft 591

92.35%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.47

$2.05 Ft 661

51.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 A$4.59

$2.37 Ft 765

34.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 A$5.02

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-10.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 A$3.87

$0.99 Ft 320

171.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 A$3.35

$1.00 Ft 322

133.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.54 A$5.10

$1.58 Ft 511

124.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 A$2.20

$0.67 Ft 216

128.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.38 A$61.0

$7.96 Ft 2,572

432.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.97 A$20.10

$6.22 Ft 2,009

124.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.81 A$6.93

$1.27 Ft 411

278.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 A$7.41

$2.03 Ft 654

153.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 A$4.75

$1.52 Ft 490

117.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.7 A$133

$28.02 Ft 9,053

230.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 A$5.09

$3.31 Ft 1,070

6.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 A$2.44

$1.37 Ft 442

24.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.11 A$56.3

$19.83 Ft 6,406

97.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.80

$1.82 Ft 589

-31.32%

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

$26.8K A$38.6K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-10.03%

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

$33.0K A$47.4K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-2.54%

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

$216 A$311

$171 Ft 55.3K

26.16%

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

$31.56 A$45.42

$23.51 Ft 7,596

34.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.28 A$70.9

$23.29 Ft 7,526

111.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 A$88.0

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-9.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.31 A$24.91

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-8.36%

Cinema Ticket

$15.89 A$22.86

$9.30 Ft 3,004

70.86%

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

$1,912 A$2,752

$533 Ft 172.3K

258.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K A$32.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

34.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.3 A$116

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-19.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 A$79.9

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

27.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 A$147

$110 Ft 35.7K

-7.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 A$195

$119 Ft 38.4K

13.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,541 A$2,218

$830 Ft 268.3K

85.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 A$1,620

$622 Ft 200.9K

80.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,038 A$2,933

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

27.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,001 A$2,880

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

71.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,245 A$8,987

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

7.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,569 A$6,575

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

17.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

6.45

-9.46%

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

Last update for Ballina: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballina

$1.1K 45.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 44.7% $504

Groceries & Markets

Ballina

$375 15.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 31.1% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballina

$297 12.1%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 26.6% $79

Eating Out

Ballina

$286 11.6%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 22.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Ballina

$168 6.8%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 0.3% $0.5

Getting Around

Ballina

$118 4.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 62.5% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Ballina

$93 3.8%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 7.3% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,541 in Ballina 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Ballina versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $375 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballina

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

20:30 8:30 PM

9 h behind Ballina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,911

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 18, 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 18, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ballina Budapest 15,610 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Ballina
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

Ballina vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ballina is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,693 per month in Ballina 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 $1,912 per month in Ballina and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Ballina, 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 $1,619, than in Ballina at $2,462. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ballina 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, Ballina makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.