Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,560 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,560

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,560 per month in Brisbane vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Brisbane $2,560
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,774 per month in Brisbane vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Brisbane $3,774
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Brisbane vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Brisbane $4,987
Budapest $3,489

Brisbane costs about 58% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Brisbane and Budapest sit above the global median – Brisbane by 91%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.72 A$25.46

$13.99 Ft 4,555

26.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 A$107

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

23.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 A$15.72

$9.96 Ft 3,244

9.84%

Cappuccino

$4.24 A$6.10

$3.38 Ft 1,102

25.44%

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

$2.84 A$4.08

$2.13 Ft 693

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.56

$1.87 Ft 609

32.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.59 A$12.33

$3.75 Ft 1,222

129.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.85

$3.57 Ft 1,163

131.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 A$2.35

$1.13 Ft 369

44.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 A$3.76

$1.84 Ft 600

42.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 A$3.24

$2.39 Ft 777

-5.86%

Eggs

$4.91 A$7.05

$3.83 Ft 1,246

28.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 A$13.59

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-16.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.00 A$12.93

$6.74 Ft 2,194

33.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 A$20.02

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-5.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 A$6.00

$1.84 Ft 598

127.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.01 Ft 654

50.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 A$4.25

$2.36 Ft 767

25.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 A$6.87

$3.77 Ft 1,227

26.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.95

$0.96 Ft 314

186.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 A$3.41

$1.03 Ft 335

130.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 A$3.39

$1.56 Ft 509

51.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 A$1.80

$0.66 Ft 216

89.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.83 A$55.8

$7.96 Ft 2,594

387.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.35 A$17.74

$6.01 Ft 1,956

105.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.51

$1.30 Ft 422

302.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.12

$2.08 Ft 677

138.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.49

$1.50 Ft 490

-77.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.27 A$30.56

$27.61 Ft 8,991

-22.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 A$4.22

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-10.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 A$2.57

$1.30 Ft 424

37.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.65 A$59.8

$19.78 Ft 6,442

110.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.08

$1.81 Ft 591

-19.89%

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

$26.9K A$38.7K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-8.11%

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

$28.0K A$40.3K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-17.78%

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

$156 A$224

$170 Ft 55.3K

-8.13%

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

$25.94 A$37.26

$23.98 Ft 7,809

8.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 A$85.7

$23.42 Ft 7,628

154.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 A$87.3

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-8.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 A$33.12

$19.18 Ft 6,245

20.18%

Cinema Ticket

$17.49 A$25.12

$9.52 Ft 3,101

83.72%

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

$1,943 A$2,791

$537 Ft 174.8K

261.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K A$18.4K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-22.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.9 A$118

$101 Ft 33.0K

-19.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.63 A$64.1

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

3.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$113 Ft 36.7K

-1.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 A$161

$119 Ft 38.7K

-5.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,974 A$2,835

$805 Ft 262.2K

145.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 A$1,952

$629 Ft 204.9K

116.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,333 A$4,788

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

115.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 A$3,293

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

96.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,100 A$11.6K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

44.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,066 A$8,714

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

52.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,133 A$5,937

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

154.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

6.43

-9.64%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 53.2%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 53.7% $730

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$359 14.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 28.3% $102

Eating Out

Brisbane

$306 12%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 26.8% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$242 9.5%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 10.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$157 6.2%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 7.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$96 3.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 11% $11

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.4%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 25.9% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,974 in Brisbane versus $805 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 154% higher in Brisbane, 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 $74.0 in Brisbane versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $359 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

03:04 3:04 AM

8 h behind Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brisbane Budapest 15,470 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
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

Brisbane vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 58% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Brisbane and $2,432 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.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Brisbane, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Brisbane and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Brisbane at $2,560. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Budapest costs $1,621 versus $2,560 in Brisbane. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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