Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ballarat

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $1,902 in Ballarat, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
Learn more

Ballarat Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,902

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ballarat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $1,902 in Ballarat.

Budapest $1,619
Ballarat $1,902

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $3,035 in Ballarat.

Budapest $2,524
Ballarat $3,035

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $4,168 in Ballarat.

Budapest $3,429
Ballarat $4,168

Living in Budapest costs roughly 15% less than in Ballarat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 20% above, Ballarat 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$17.70 A$25.47

-21.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$69.9 A$101

-12.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$10.27 A$14.78

-0.78%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.79 A$5.45

-13.98%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.95 A$4.24

-27.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.89 A$2.72

-5.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$6.06 A$8.72

-38.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$6.09 A$8.77

-38.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.57 A$2.27

-26.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$2.65 A$3.82

-32.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.32 A$3.35

7.33%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$4.09 A$5.88

-4.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.56 A$15.20

5.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$9.96 A$14.33

-33.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.97 A$21.55

-1.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.51 A$5.04

-47.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$3.02 A$4.34

-32.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$3.11 A$4.48

-23.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$4.68 A$6.73

-16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.07 A$4.42

-67.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.55 A$3.67

-60.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$2.35 A$3.38

-32.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.48 A$2.14

-54.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$34.39 A$49.49

-76.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$12.66 A$18.21

-50.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.31 A$3.33

-45.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.11 A$4.48

-34.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.76 A$3.97

-44.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$69.9 A$101

-59.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.53 A$3.65

30.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.34 A$1.93

2.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$26.64 A$38.33

-25.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.18 A$1.70

54.24%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$28.4K A$40.9K

4.79%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$26.0K A$37.4K

30.07%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$206 A$296

-16.76%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$27.76 A$39.95

-15.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$57.4 A$82.6

-59.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$31.36 A$45.13

115.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$11.18 A$16.09

68.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$15.38 A$22.14

-39.53%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$2,144 A$3,085

-75.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$30.2K A$43.4K

-44.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$68.7 A$98.8

45.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$50.1 A$72.2

-13.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$99.6 A$143

10.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$134 A$193

-11.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$923 A$1,329

-10.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$671 A$965

-7.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,288 A$1,854

23.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,454 A$2,092

-19.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,622 A$6,651

26.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$3,449 A$4,963

12.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$3,136 A$4,512

-47.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.55

16.22%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ballarat: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Ballarat

$671 35.3% 7.9% $49

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Ballarat

$350 18.4% 35.9% $92

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Ballarat

$280 14.7% 25.4% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Ballarat

$291 15.3% 33.4% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Ballarat

$158 8.3% 5.4% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Ballarat

$62 3.3% 27.9% $24

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ballarat

$90 4.7% 104% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $923 in Ballarat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays 90% 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 $70.0 in Ballarat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $350 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

06:02 6:02 AM

9 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

105,348

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Ballarat 15,460 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Ballarat

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 Ballarat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Ballarat. 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 90% lower in Ballarat. 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 $923 in Ballarat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $533 in Budapest versus $2,144 in Ballarat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Ballarat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,619 in Budapest versus $1,902 in Ballarat, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Ballarat. 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 Ballarat 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 18% less than in Ballarat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.