Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ashford

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,427 in Ashford, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Ashford
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Ashford Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Ashford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ashford

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $2,427 in Ashford.

Budapest $1,619
Ashford $2,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $3,351 in Ashford.

Budapest $2,524
Ashford $3,351

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $4,276 in Ashford.

Budapest $3,429
Ashford $4,276

Living in Budapest costs roughly 33% less than in Ashford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 20% above, Ashford 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$20.96 £15.73

-33.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$79.9 £60.0

-23.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$10.49 £7.87

-2.86%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$5.74 £4.30

-43.21%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.74 £2.05

-21.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.82 £1.37

-2.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.89 £2.92

-4.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$7.09 £5.32

-46.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.48 £1.11

-22.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.32 £0.99

35.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.69 £1.26

47.34%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.00 £2.25

30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$5.22 £3.92

112.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.91 £5.18

-4.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.39 £10.79

2.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.28 £2.46

-44.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.44 £1.08

42.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.67 £2.01

-11.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.17 £2.38

23.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.67 £1.25

-40.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.46 £1.09

-31.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.44 £1.08

9.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.42 £1.07

-52.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$18.83 £14.13

-57.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$9.24 £6.93

-32.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.67 £2.00

-52.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.63 £2.73

-44.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$3.89 £2.92

-60.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$146 £110

-80.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$6.11 £4.58

-45.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.68 £1.26

-18.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$21.44 £16.08

-7.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.07 £1.55

-12.08%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$35.0K £26.2K

-14.77%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$41.1K £30.9K

-17.79%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$244 £183

-29.80%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$24.30 £18.23

-3.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$38.52 £28.90

-39.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$61.3 £45.99

10.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$18.74 £14.06

0.80%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$21.45 £16.10

-56.64%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$1,076 £808

-50.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$19.8K £14.9K

-15.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$69.5 £52.1

43.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$31.50 £23.63

38.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$76.7 £57.6

43.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$100 £75.1

18.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$1,115 £836

-25.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$1,133 £850

-45.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,708 £1,282

-6.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,425 £1,069

-17.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$6,328 £4,748

-7.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$4,671 £3,504

-16.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$2,452 £1,840

-32.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.91

31.36%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ashford: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Ashford

$1.1K 46.7% 82.2% $511

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Ashford

$262 10.8% 1.4% $3.6

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Ashford

$320 13.2% 43.5% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Ashford

$307 12.6% 40.7% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Ashford

$125 5.2% 25.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Ashford

$104 4.3% 21% $18

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ashford

$176 7.3% 299% $132

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $1,115 in Ashford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashford pays 49% 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: $61.0 in Budapest vs $80.0 in Ashford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $262 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇧 Ashford

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

23:46 11:46 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

58,936

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Ashford 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Ashford

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 Ashford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Ashford. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $830 in Budapest versus $1,115 in Ashford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Budapest – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $80.0 in Ashford. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,619 per month in Budapest versus $2,427 in Ashford – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,619 in Budapest versus $2,427 in Ashford, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Ashford. The gap between the two cities makes Budapest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Budapest is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ashford, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Ashford 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 50% less than in Ashford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.