Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Bedford

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,097 in Bedford, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Bedford
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Bedford Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Bedford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,097

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Bedford

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $2,097 in Bedford, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Bedford $2,097

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $3,291 in Bedford, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Bedford $3,291

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $4,486 in Bedford, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Bedford $4,486

Budapest is about 23% cheaper than Bedford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Bedford sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Bedford by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$20.10 £15.08

-30.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$86.6 £65.0

-29.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$10.65 £7.99

-4.32%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.59 £3.44

-28.98%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.03 £1.52

5.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.21 £0.91

47.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$6.45 £4.84

-42.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$5.84 £4.38

-35.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.70 £1.28

-32.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.46 £1.10

22.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.68 £1.26

48.21%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.80 £2.85

2.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.09 £6.82

22.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$8.96 £6.72

-26.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$12.62 £9.47

16.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.26 £2.44

-43.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.30 £0.98

57.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.47 £1.85

-4.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.20 £2.40

21.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.32 £0.99

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.32 £0.99

-24.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.03 £0.77

53.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.30 £0.97

-48.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$23.05 £17.29

-65.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$10.65 £7.99

-41.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.58 £1.94

-50.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.36 £1.77

-13.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.56 £1.92

-40.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.99 £3.74

-33.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.43 £1.07

-4.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$23.92 £17.95

-17.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.92 £1.44

-5.21%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$37.5K £28.1K

-20.47%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$40.5K £30.4K

-16.56%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$316 £237

-45.86%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$17.63 £13.22

33.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$39.85 £29.90

-41.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$36.86 £27.66

83.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$15.90 £11.93

-41.51%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$937 £703

-43.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$21.6K £16.2K

-22.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$23.92 £17.95

316.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$25.54 £19.16

70.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$79.6 £59.7

38.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$86.7 £65.1

37.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$1,115 £837

-25.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$952 £714

-34.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$2,353 £1,766

-32.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,998 £1,499

-41.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$3,170 £2,378

-47.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.67

38.12%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bedford: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Bedford

$952 45.4% 53.1% $330

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Bedford

$279 13.3% 8% $21

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Bedford

$305 14.5% 36.7% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Bedford

$374 17.8% 71.4% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Bedford

$97 4.6% 42.1% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Bedford

$69 3.3% 20.3% $17

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Bedford

$22 * 1.1% 49.4% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $1,115 in Bedford. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 92% higher in Bedford, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $87.0 in Bedford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $279 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇧 Bedford

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

09:28 9:28 AM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

80,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Bedford 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Bedford

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 Bedford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bedford costs about 30% 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 $2,428 per month in Budapest and $3,146 in Bedford. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,619 in Budapest and $2,097 in Bedford. That's a gap of about 30%.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $937 in Bedford. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Bedford at $2,097. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bedford it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Budapest costs $1,619 versus $2,097 in Bedford. 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, Bedford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.