Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Alges

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,009 in Alges, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alges outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Alges
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Alges Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Alges

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Alges

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 Alges actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $2,009 in Alges, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Alges $2,009

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,853 in Alges, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Alges $2,853

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,697 in Alges, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Alges $3,697

Budapest is about 19% cheaper than Alges, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Budapest and Alges sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Alges by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$15.36 €13.66

-9.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$54.7 €48.68

11.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$9.41 €8.37

8.29%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.64 €2.35

23.48%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.35 €2.09

-8.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$2.25 €2.00

-20.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.39 €3.01

9.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$5.54 €4.93

-31.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.04 €0.93

10.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.96 €1.75

-8.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.23 €1.98

11.66%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.42 €3.04

14.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.82 €9.63

2.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.10 €6.31

-6.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.95 €13.30

-1.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.85 €2.54

-35.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.37 €1.22

49.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.78 €1.59

33.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.24 €2.00

74.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.56 €1.39

-36.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.23 €1.98

-55.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.54 €1.37

2.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.78 €0.69

-14.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.67 €5.05

40.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.90 €4.35

26.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.16 €1.03

9.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.09 €2.75

-34.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.26 €2.01

-32.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$44.01 €39.15

-36.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.56 €4.06

-27.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.99 €0.88

38.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$17.84 €15.87

11.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.05 €1.83

-11.22%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$33.8K €30.1K

-11.82%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$38.1K €33.9K

-11.29%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$137 €122

25.26%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$24.63 €21.91

-4.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$56.3 €50.1

-58.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$44.85 €39.89

50.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$17.11 €15.22

10.40%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.20 €6.40

29.17%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$597 €531

-10.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$18.7K €16.6K

-10.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$76.8 €68.3

29.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$33.38 €29.69

30.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$90.7 €80.6

21.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$94.8 €84.3

25.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$1,240 €1,103

-33.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$1,055 €938

-41.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$2,047 €1,821

-22.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,559 €1,386

-24.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,991 €2,660

94.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,264 €2,014

71.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,229 €1,093

34.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.67

75.75%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Alges: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Alges

$1.1K 52.5% 69.6% $433

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Alges

$253 12.6% 2% $5.3

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Alges

$229 11.4% 2.8% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Alges

$218 10.8% 0.2% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Alges

$133 6.6% 20.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Alges

$59 3% 31.2% $27

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Alges

$63 3.1% 41.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $1,240 in Alges. 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 34% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $55.0 in Alges. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $253 – making Alges the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇹 Alges

🕒 Local time

16:19 4:19 PM

15:19 3:19 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

19,327

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Alges 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Alges: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,619 in Budapest, $2,009 in Alges – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $3,013 in Alges. 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 $533 per month in Budapest and $597 in Alges. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Alges – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Alges at $2,009. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alges it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Alges has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,619 in Budapest to $2,009 in Alges. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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