Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Arun

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,629 in Arun, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Arun
Learn more

Arun Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Arun

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Arun

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $2,629 in Arun, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Arun $2,629

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $3,863 in Arun, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Arun $3,863

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $5,097 in Arun, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Arun $5,097

Budapest is about 38% cheaper than Arun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Arun sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Arun by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$26.34 £19.76

-46.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$108 £81.3

-43.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$10.69 £8.02

-2.99%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$5.82 £4.37

-40.55%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$3.02 £2.26

-31.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$2.21 £1.65

-19.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$9.08 £6.81

-59.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$8.31 £6.24

-54.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.89 £1.42

-38.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$2.02 £1.52

-8.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$2.45 £1.84

-2.04%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$5.09 £3.82

-21.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$4.70 £3.52

142.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$10.72 £8.04

-35.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$17.19 £12.90

-15.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$3.08 £2.31

-38.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.11 £0.83

92.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$3.00 £2.25

-23.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$3.39 £2.55

19.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$1.61 £1.21

-36.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.80 £1.35

-45.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.45 £1.09

8.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$1.88 £1.41

-62.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$23.67 £17.76

-66.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$13.11 £9.84

-52.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$3.23 £2.42

-61.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$4.49 £3.37

-54.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$3.63 £2.72

-56.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$99.1 £74.3

-72.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$5.72 £4.29

-40.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$3.23 £2.42

-58.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$26.16 £19.62

-21.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.92 £1.44

0.52%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$38.8K £29.1K

-24.98%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$41.1K £30.8K

-15.41%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$370 £277

-52.77%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$17.94 £13.46

31.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$39.96 £29.98

-40.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$53.1 £39.87

29.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$6.15 £4.61

67.64%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$2,919 £2,190

-81.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$36.4K £27.3K

-53.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$117 £87.8

-14.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$39.30 £29.48

10.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$128 £96.2

-12.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$66.6 £49.94

78.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$1,164 £874

-28.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$1,119 £840

-43.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$2,254 £1,691

-29.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$1,796 £1,347

-33.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$4,762 £3,572

20.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$4,150 £3,113

-4.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.74

36.08%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Arun: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Arun

$1.1K 42.6% 77.9% $490

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Arun

$328 12.5% 25.2% $66

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Arun

$396 15.1% 74.8% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Arun

$428 16.3% 92.8% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Arun

$158 6% 6.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Arun

$65 2.5% 26.9% $24

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Arun

$135 5.2% 208% $92

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $1,164 in Arun. 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $108 in Arun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $328 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇧 Arun

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

00:06 12:06 AM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

3,285

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Budapest Arun 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Arun

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 Arun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arun costs about 60% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $3,943 in Arun. 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 $61.0 in Budapest and $108 in Arun. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,641 in Budapest and $2,629 in Arun. That's a gap of about 60%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Arun at $2,629. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Budapest costs $1,641 versus $2,629 in Arun. 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, Arun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.