Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buckingham and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,219 in Buckingham, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Buckingham
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Buckingham Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Buckingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,219

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,219 in Buckingham versus $1,619 in Budapest.

Buckingham $2,219
Budapest $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,265 in Buckingham versus $2,524 in Budapest.

Buckingham $3,265
Budapest $2,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,311 in Buckingham versus $3,429 in Budapest.

Buckingham $4,311
Budapest $3,429

Living in Buckingham is roughly 37% more expensive than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buckingham 64% above, Budapest 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.03 £15.03

$13.94 Ft 4,503

43.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 £59.2

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

28.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.44 £7.83

$10.19 Ft 3,291

2.45%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.45

$3.26 Ft 1,055

41.10%

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

$2.05 £1.54

$2.14 Ft 690

-4.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.12

$1.78 Ft 577

-15.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 £4.09

$3.71 Ft 1,198

46.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 £3.39

$3.77 Ft 1,217

19.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.15 Ft 371

31.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.79 Ft 578

-1.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 £2.11

$2.49 Ft 804

13.25%

Eggs

$4.04 £3.03

$3.90 Ft 1,261

3.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 £6.82

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-18.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 £5.79

$6.62 Ft 2,139

16.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.42 £12.32

$14.69 Ft 4,745

11.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 £2.47

$1.83 Ft 591

79.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$2.05 Ft 661

-24.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$2.37 Ft 765

18.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-17.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 £0.87

$0.99 Ft 320

17.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.00 Ft 322

73.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.97

$1.58 Ft 511

-18.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.01

$0.67 Ft 216

101.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.66 £17.75

$7.96 Ft 2,572

197.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.10 £7.57

$6.22 Ft 2,009

62.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 £2.36

$1.27 Ft 411

147.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$2.03 Ft 654

12.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.38 £2.53

$1.52 Ft 490

122.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.7 £71.1

$28.02 Ft 9,053

238.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.18 £3.14

$3.31 Ft 1,070

26.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 £2.02

$1.37 Ft 442

96.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.36 £24.28

$19.83 Ft 6,406

63.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$1.82 Ft 589

12.09%

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

$38.4K £28.8K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

28.79%

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

$41.3K £31.0K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

22.10%

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

$200 £150

$171 Ft 55.3K

16.86%

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

$17.46 £13.10

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-25.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.68 £32.77

$23.29 Ft 7,526

87.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.77 £34.34

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-32.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 £10.04

$9.30 Ft 3,004

43.87%

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

$1,464 £1,099

$533 Ft 172.3K

174.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K £16.5K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

31.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.3 £63.2

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-15.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.33 £23.50

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-27.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 £55.3

$110 Ft 35.7K

-33.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 £72.9

$119 Ft 38.4K

-18.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 £1,097

$830 Ft 268.3K

76.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 £777

$622 Ft 200.9K

66.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,105 £1,579

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

32.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 £1,244

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

41.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,081 £3,812

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-12.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 £2,865

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-1.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,447 £3,336

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

169.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.06

6.45

-21.55%

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

Last update for Buckingham: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buckingham

$1K 46.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 40% $414

Eating Out

Buckingham

$297 13.4%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 25% $74

Groceries & Markets

Buckingham

$297 13.4%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 13.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buckingham

$261 11.8%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 16.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Buckingham

$129 5.8%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 30% $39

Getting Around

Buckingham

$126 5.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 64.9% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Buckingham

$73 3.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 18.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,462 in Buckingham and $830 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buckingham pays 169% 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: $79.0 in Buckingham vs $61.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $258 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Buckingham

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

09:35 9:35 AM

1 h ahead of Buckingham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,890

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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buckingham Budapest 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Buckingham
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

Buckingham vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buckingham and Budapest differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($2,219 vs $1,619 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 169% higher in Buckingham, 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: $1,462 in Buckingham versus $830 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,219 per month in Buckingham versus $1,619 in Budapest – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Budapest runs roughly 238% less than in Buckingham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,619 in Budapest versus $2,219 in Buckingham, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Buckingham. 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, Buckingham 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 37% less than in Buckingham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.