Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ashkelon

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,394 in Ashkelon, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Ashkelon
Learn more

Ashkelon Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Ashkelon

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,394

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ashkelon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $2,394 in Ashkelon.

Budapest $1,619
Ashkelon $2,394

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $3,551 in Ashkelon.

Budapest $2,524
Ashkelon $3,551

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $4,708 in Ashkelon.

Budapest $3,429
Ashkelon $4,708

Living in Budapest costs roughly 32% less than in Ashkelon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 20% above, Ashkelon 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$23.07 ₪71.8

-39.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$81.0 ₪252

-24.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$17.60 ₪54.8

-42.10%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.58 ₪14.25

-28.82%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$3.26 ₪10.15

-34.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$2.80 ₪8.71

-36.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$12.10 ₪37.63

-69.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$7.69 ₪23.93

-50.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.35 ₪7.32

-51.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$2.68 ₪8.34

-33.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$3.01 ₪9.35

-17.28%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$4.57 ₪14.21

-14.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$21.56 ₪67.1

-48.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$12.94 ₪40.26

-48.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$25.38 ₪79.0

-42.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$4.13 ₪12.86

-55.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$3.18 ₪9.91

-35.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.27 ₪7.05

4.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.22 ₪10.03

21.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.60 ₪4.99

-38.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.99 ₪6.20

-49.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$2.66 ₪8.27

-40.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.94 ₪2.93

-28.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$13.77 ₪42.84

-42.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$11.65 ₪36.23

-46.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.58 ₪8.02

-50.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.97 ₪6.12

3.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.53 ₪7.88

-39.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$44.33 ₪138

-36.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$11.17 ₪34.76

-70.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.67 ₪5.20

-17.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$39.23 ₪122

-49.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.64 ₪8.20

-31.06%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$57.8K ₪179.8K

-48.43%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$56.8K ₪176.7K

-40.48%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$214 ₪667

-20.13%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$11.73 ₪36.49

100.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$41.41 ₪129

-43.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$45.93 ₪143

47.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$32.25 ₪100

-41.43%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$16.56 ₪51.5

-43.84%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$1,220 ₪3,797

-56.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$107 ₪334

-7.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$75.6 ₪235

-42.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$113 ₪352

-2.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$146 ₪453

-18.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$1,144 ₪3,560

-27.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$961 ₪2,989

-35.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,798 ₪5,595

-11.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,470 ₪4,575

-20.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$5,741 ₪17.9K

1.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$5,602 ₪17.4K

-30.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$2,977 ₪9,263

-44.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.98

29.52%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ashkelon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Ashkelon

$961 40.1% 54.5% $339

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Ashkelon

$422 17.6% 63.6% $164

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Ashkelon

$392 16.4% 76% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Ashkelon

$267 11.2% 22.7% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Ashkelon

$199 8.3% 18.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Ashkelon

$79 3.3% 8.2% $7.1

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ashkelon

$74 3.1% 67.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $1,144 in Ashkelon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashkelon pays 80% 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 $81.0 in Ashkelon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $422 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇱 Ashkelon

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

12:31 12:31 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

152,439

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Ashkelon 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 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 Ashkelon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Ashkelon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Budapest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 80% lower in Ashkelon. 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 $1,144 in Ashkelon. 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 $81.0 in Ashkelon. 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 $2,394 in Ashkelon – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,619 in Budapest versus $2,394 in Ashkelon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Ashkelon. The gap between the two cities makes Budapest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Budapest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,619 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Budapest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Ashkelon 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 48% less than in Ashkelon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.