Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Akureyri

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,060 in Akureyri, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Akureyri

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Akureyri

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Akureyri actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $3,060 in Akureyri, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Akureyri $3,060

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $4,123 in Akureyri, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Akureyri $4,123

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $5,186 in Akureyri, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Akureyri $5,186

Budapest is about 47% cheaper than Akureyri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Akureyri sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Akureyri by 128%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$24.64 ISK 3,004

-43.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$133 ISK 16.2K

-54.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$22.95 ISK 2,799

-56.60%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$4.93 ISK 602

-31.44%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$3.44 ISK 420

-38.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$3.12 ISK 381

-40.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$11.08 ISK 1,352

-66.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$9.43 ISK 1,150

-62.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$2.77 ISK 338

-59.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$2.30 ISK 280

-20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$3.18 ISK 388

-24.84%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$7.93 ISK 967

-51.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$15.52 ISK 1,892

-27.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$24.79 ISK 3,024

-72.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$2.91 ISK 355

-30.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$3.49 ISK 426

-32.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$5.89 ISK 719

-35.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$13.61 ISK 1,660

-41.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$2.52 ISK 307

-28.17%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$41.1K ISK 5.0M

-28.69%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$66.4K ISK 8.1M

-48.66%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$124 ISK 15.1K

37.29%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$26.03 ISK 3,174

-7.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$162 ISK 19.7K

-85.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$86.8 ISK 10.6K

-23.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$15.18 ISK 1,852

-37.29%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$364 ISK 44.3K

47.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$82.6 ISK 10.1K

22.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$123 ISK 15.0K

-8.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$1,800 ISK 219.5K

-55.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$1,787 ISK 217.9K

-64.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$2,153 ISK 262.6K

-45.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$6,605 ISK 805.5K

-14.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$6,467 ISK 788.7K

-38.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

9.4

-31.60%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Akureyri: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Akureyri

–

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Akureyri

–

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Akureyri

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Akureyri

–

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Akureyri

–

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Akureyri

–

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Akureyri

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $1,800 in Akureyri. 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $133 in Akureyri. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $327 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇸 Akureyri

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

07:19 7:19 AM

2 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

19,219

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

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).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.31 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Akureyri 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Budapest
Akureyri

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

Budapest vs Akureyri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Akureyri is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $4,590 in Akureyri. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest and $133 in Akureyri. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Akureyri, 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 $1,621, than in Akureyri at $3,060. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Akureyri 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, Akureyri makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.