Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Amritsar

For one person, living is cheaper in Amritsar: $426 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Amritsar
Learn more

Amritsar Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Amritsar

🇮🇳 India

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Amritsar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Budapest versus $426 in Amritsar.

Budapest $1,647
Amritsar $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,567 in Budapest versus $682 in Amritsar.

Budapest $2,567
Amritsar $682

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,488 in Budapest versus $938 in Amritsar.

Budapest $3,488
Amritsar $938

Living in Budapest is roughly 286% more expensive than in Amritsar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 22% above, Amritsar is 68% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$2.14 ₹202

536.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

$8.59 ₹811

606.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,239

$3.44 ₹325

191.28%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,075

$1.91 ₹180

74.35%

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

$2.12 Ft 684

$0.41 ₹38.61

417.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 581

$0.20 ₹18.85

800.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,166

$1.57 ₹148

129.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,160

$3.14 ₹297

14.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 361

$0.70 ₹66.0

60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 623

$0.52 ₹48.82

271.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.84 ₹79.1

196.43%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,275

$0.89 ₹84.0

342.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,646

$4.30 ₹406

162.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,177

$2.87 ₹271

134.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,670

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 601

$1.67 ₹158

11.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$0.76 ₹71.8

168.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 740

$0.59 ₹55.6

288.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,290

$0.45 ₹42.13

786.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 304

$0.28 ₹26.03

235.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 330

$0.34 ₹32.25

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 534

$0.30 ₹28.76

450.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.31 ₹28.90

119.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,526

$5.06 ₹478

54.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,946

$11.43 ₹1,080

-47.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 418

$1.72 ₹163

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 655

$2.66 ₹251

-24.06%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.47 ₹517

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 484

$0.36 ₹33.69

316.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

$20.90 ₹1,974

29.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,085

$0.99 ₹93.3

239.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.22 ₹20.80

522.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,451

$1.62 ₹153

1132.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.13 ₹107

64.60%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$11.5K ₹1.1M

148.97%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$25.6K ₹2.4M

30.25%

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

$178 Ft 57.6K

$37.84 ₹3,575

370.85%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,623

$3.10 ₹293

660.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,797

$6.89 ₹651

250.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

$29.51 ₹2,788

136.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,505

$5.22 ₹493

226.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,388

$3.12 ₹295

235.90%

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

$625 Ft 202.1K

$38.75 ₹3,661

1513.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$1,606 ₹151.7K

1123.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.0K

$27.84 ₹2,630

266.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

$24.92 ₹2,354

74.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.5K

$53.7 ₹5,069

104.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.0K

$43.63 ₹4,122

176.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 273.3K

$121 ₹11.5K

595.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.4K

$76.9 ₹7,263

730.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

$288 ₹27.2K

458.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

$214 ₹20.2K

468.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$1,141 ₹107.8K

386.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$808 ₹76.4K

382.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 557.5K

$387 ₹36.6K

345.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

-20.75%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Amritsar: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Amritsar

$77 18% 88% $561

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Amritsar

$107 25.1% 58.8% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Amritsar

$48 11.2% 78.8% $178

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Amritsar

$67 15.7% 69.6% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Amritsar

$68 15.8% 60.1% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Amritsar

$36 8.4% 60.6% $55

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Amritsar

$24 5.7% 43.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $845 in Budapest and $121 in Amritsar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Budapest vs $9 in Amritsar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $107 per month, with Amritsar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇳 Amritsar

🕒 Local time

04:55 4:55 AM

09:25 9:25 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,132,761

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Amritsar 4,980 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Amritsar

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 Amritsar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amritsar wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Budapest. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Amritsar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Budapest is about 4.5 times higher, 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: $845 in Budapest versus $121 in Amritsar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Amritsar – a meal for two runs $9 versus $61 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,647 per month in Budapest versus $426 in Amritsar – Amritsar is about 74% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $426 in Amritsar versus $1,647 in Budapest, a $800 budget is realistic in Amritsar but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Amritsar 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.

Expats usually find Amritsar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.