Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basingstoke and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,488 in Basingstoke, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Basingstoke
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Basingstoke Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Basingstoke

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,488

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,488 per month in Basingstoke vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Basingstoke $2,488
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,772 per month in Basingstoke vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Basingstoke $3,772
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $5,056 per month in Basingstoke vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Basingstoke $5,056
Budapest $3,429

Basingstoke costs about 54% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Basingstoke and Budapest sit above the global median – Basingstoke by 84%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.56 £14.68

$13.94 Ft 4,503

40.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 £67.2

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

46.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 £7.70

$10.19 Ft 3,291

0.69%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.51

$3.26 Ft 1,055

43.56%

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

$2.93 £2.20

$2.14 Ft 690

36.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 £1.29

$1.78 Ft 577

-2.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 £4.62

$3.71 Ft 1,198

66.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 £4.89

$3.77 Ft 1,217

72.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 £1.13

$1.15 Ft 371

30.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.79 Ft 578

-7.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 £1.34

$2.49 Ft 804

-28.11%

Eggs

$3.70 £2.78

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-5.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.31 £8.49

$11.10 Ft 3,587

1.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.24 £6.18

$6.62 Ft 2,139

24.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.45 £9.34

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-15.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.23

$1.83 Ft 591

62.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 £1.23

$2.05 Ft 661

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 £2.05

$2.37 Ft 765

15.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 £2.38

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-18.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 £1.58

$0.99 Ft 320

112.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.00 Ft 322

70.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 £1.48

$1.58 Ft 511

24.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 £1.31

$0.67 Ft 216

161.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.17 £17.39

$7.96 Ft 2,572

191.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.34 £10.00

$6.22 Ft 2,009

114.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 £2.17

$1.27 Ft 411

127.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 £2.30

$2.03 Ft 654

51.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.04 £3.03

$1.52 Ft 490

165.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$169 £126

$28.02 Ft 9,053

501.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 £4.88

$3.31 Ft 1,070

96.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 £1.73

$1.37 Ft 442

68.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.20 £9.90

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-33.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.44

$1.82 Ft 589

5.49%

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

$37.8K £28.4K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

26.83%

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

$40.1K £30.1K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

18.62%

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

$271 £203

$171 Ft 55.3K

58.42%

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

$15.83 £11.88

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-32.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.24 £33.19

$23.29 Ft 7,526

89.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.5 £43.86

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-13.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.70 £20.03

$18.89 Ft 6,104

41.34%

Cinema Ticket

$13.23 £9.92

$9.30 Ft 3,004

42.26%

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

$1,209 £907

$533 Ft 172.3K

126.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,427 £4,071

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-67.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 £67.1

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-10.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 £40.17

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

23.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.9

$110 Ft 35.7K

-4.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 £80.9

$119 Ft 38.4K

-9.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 £951

$830 Ft 268.3K

52.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 £825

$622 Ft 200.9K

76.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,638

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

37.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 £1,492

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

69.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,430 £6,324

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

44.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,762 £5,823

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

99.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,698 £2,774

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

123.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.07

6.45

-21.40%

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

Last update for Basingstoke: 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

Basingstoke

$1.1K 44.2%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 43.5% $478

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basingstoke

$331 13.3%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 34.2% $113

Eating Out

Basingstoke

$306 12.3%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 27.1% $83

Groceries & Markets

Basingstoke

$303 12.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 14.9% $45

Getting Around

Basingstoke

$203 8.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 78.2% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Basingstoke

$160 6.4%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 4.6% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Basingstoke

$85 3.4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 1.4% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,267 in Basingstoke 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 124% higher in Basingstoke, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Basingstoke versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $303 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Basingstoke

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

02:46 2:46 AM

1 h ahead of Basingstoke

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,355

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Basingstoke Budapest 1,510 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Basingstoke
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

Basingstoke vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Basingstoke is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,732 per month in Basingstoke 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 $1,209 per month in Basingstoke 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 18% more in Basingstoke, 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 Basingstoke at $2,488. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Basingstoke 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, Basingstoke makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.