Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barrie and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,516 in Barrie, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Barrie
Learn more

Barrie Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Barrie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,516

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,516 in Barrie versus $1,621 in Budapest.

Barrie $2,516
Budapest $1,621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,464 in Barrie versus $2,555 in Budapest.

Barrie $3,464
Budapest $2,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,413 in Barrie versus $3,489 in Budapest.

Barrie $4,413
Budapest $3,489

Living in Barrie is roughly 55% more expensive than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barrie 88% above, Budapest 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.06 CA$20.05

$13.99 Ft 4,551

0.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 CA$81.6

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-5.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 CA$15.84

$9.96 Ft 3,241

11.55%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.22

$3.38 Ft 1,100

8.28%

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

$1.90 CA$2.71

$2.13 Ft 692

-10.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 CA$2.08

$1.87 Ft 608

-21.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 CA$7.11

$3.75 Ft 1,221

33.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 CA$7.78

$3.57 Ft 1,162

52.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 CA$2.90

$1.13 Ft 368

79.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 CA$3.53

$1.84 Ft 599

34.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.79

$2.39 Ft 777

11.30%

Eggs

$2.91 CA$4.15

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-24.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 CA$13.82

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-14.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.10 CA$20.10

$6.74 Ft 2,192

109.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.09 CA$31.48

$14.69 Ft 4,780

50.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.76

$1.84 Ft 597

119.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.66

$2.01 Ft 653

-42.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.31

$2.36 Ft 767

27.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 CA$5.47

$3.77 Ft 1,226

1.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 CA$1.54

$0.96 Ft 313

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 CA$1.92

$1.03 Ft 334

30.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 CA$2.93

$1.56 Ft 509

32.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 CA$2.38

$0.66 Ft 216

153.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.32 CA$16.13

$7.96 Ft 2,591

42.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 CA$14.36

$6.01 Ft 1,954

67.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 CA$3.49

$1.30 Ft 421

88.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 CA$3.01

$2.08 Ft 676

1.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.50 Ft 489

62.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 CA$91.1

$27.61 Ft 8,982

131.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 CA$5.08

$3.30 Ft 1,074

8.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 CA$1.53

$1.30 Ft 424

-17.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.63

$1.81 Ft 591

-37.02%

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

$27.9K CA$39.8K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-4.78%

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

$20.4K CA$29.1K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-40.09%

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

$230 CA$328

$170 Ft 55.3K

35.26%

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

$34.39 CA$49.02

$23.98 Ft 7,802

43.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.8 CA$108

$23.42 Ft 7,621

223.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.44 CA$56.2

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-40.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.99 CA$49.88

$19.18 Ft 6,239

82.43%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 CA$18.13

$9.52 Ft 3,098

33.61%

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

$1,382 CA$1,970

$537 Ft 174.6K

157.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 CA$90.6

$101 Ft 33.0K

-37.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.59 CA$62.1

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

1.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 CA$211

$113 Ft 36.7K

31.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.0 CA$120

$119 Ft 38.6K

-29.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 CA$2,034

$805 Ft 262.0K

77.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 CA$1,736

$629 Ft 204.7K

93.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 CA$2,923

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

32.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,786 CA$2,546

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

53.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,955 CA$7,062

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-11.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,122 CA$5,875

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

3.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,020 CA$4,305

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

85.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

6.43

-27.22%

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

Last update for Barrie: October 6, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barrie

$1.2K 49.5%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 48.3% $589

Groceries & Markets

Barrie

$362 14.7%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 28.9% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barrie

$340 13.8%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 36.1% $123

Eating Out

Barrie

$239 9.7%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 6.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Barrie

$153 6.2%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 10.9% $17

Getting Around

Barrie

$83 3.4%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 47.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Barrie

$65 2.6%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 31.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,427 in Barrie and $805 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barrie pays 86% 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: $57.0 in Barrie vs $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries flip the comparison at $362 vs $258, with Budapest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Barrie

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

04:23 4:23 AM

6 h ahead of Barrie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

141,434

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 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 CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barrie Budapest 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barrie
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

Barrie vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barrie and Budapest differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($2,516 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 86% higher in Barrie, 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: $1,427 in Barrie versus $805 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Budapest runs roughly 132% less than in Barrie. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,382 in Barrie versus $537 in Budapest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,621 in Budapest versus $2,516 in Barrie, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Barrie. 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, Barrie 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 55% less than in Barrie. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.