Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Belfast

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,335 in Belfast, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Belfast
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Belfast Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Belfast

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,335

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Belfast

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,621 in Budapest versus $2,335 in Belfast.

Budapest $1,621
Belfast $2,335

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,555 in Budapest versus $3,394 in Belfast.

Budapest $2,555
Belfast $3,394

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in Budapest versus $4,453 in Belfast.

Budapest $3,489
Belfast $4,453

Living in Budapest costs roughly 31% less than in Belfast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 21% above, Belfast 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$23.36 £17.65

-40.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$93.1 £70.3

-35.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$10.64 £8.04

-6.39%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$4.88 £3.69

-30.74%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$2.91 £2.20

-26.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$1.93 £1.46

-3.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$8.05 £6.08

-53.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$7.97 £6.02

-55.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.83 £1.38

-38.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$2.27 £1.71

-18.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.65 £2.00

-9.81%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$4.46 £3.37

-14.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$10.84 £8.19

4.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$10.70 £8.08

-37.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$15.73 £11.88

-6.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$3.21 £2.42

-42.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.94 £1.47

3.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$3.43 £2.59

-31.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$3.97 £3.00

-5.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$2.29 £1.73

-58.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.52 £1.15

-32.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.33 £1.00

17.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.87 £1.41

-64.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$23.42 £17.70

-66.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$12.17 £9.20

-50.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$2.70 £2.04

-51.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$3.07 £2.32

-32.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$3.19 £2.41

-52.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$99.7 £75.3

-72.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$4.69 £3.54

-29.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.51 £1.14

-13.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$20.06 £15.16

-1.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$2.16 £1.63

-16.20%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$37.6K £28.4K

-21.99%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$40.2K £30.4K

-15.22%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$264 £200

-35.73%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$23.88 £18.04

0.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$46.04 £34.79

-49.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$46.88 £35.42

41.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$10.26 £7.75

86.94%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$14.25 £10.77

-33.19%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$1,418 £1,072

-62.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$17.5K £13.2K

-4.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$82.6 £62.4

22.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$46.02 £34.78

-6.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$107 £80.7

5.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$103 £78.0

15.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$1,157 £874

-30.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$900 £680

-30.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$1,933 £1,461

-19.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$1,368 £1,034

-14.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$4,143 £3,131

35.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$2,487 £1,880

59.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$3,223 £2,435

-49.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

4.91

30.96%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Belfast: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Belfast

$900 39.4% 43% $271

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Belfast

$345 15.1% 34.1% $88

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Belfast

$353 15.4% 57.4% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Belfast

$334 14.6% 53.8% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Belfast

$152 6.7% 9.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Belfast

$75 3.3% 11.6% $9.9

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Belfast

$125 5.5% 187% $81

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $805 in Budapest and $1,157 in Belfast. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belfast pays 98% 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: $60.0 in Budapest vs $93.0 in Belfast for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $345 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇧 Belfast

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

08:28 8:28 AM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

348,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Belfast 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Belfast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 98% lower in Belfast. 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: $805 in Budapest versus $1,157 in Belfast. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Budapest versus $1,418 in Belfast. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Belfast. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,621 in Budapest versus $2,335 in Belfast, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Belfast. 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 Belfast, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Belfast 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 44% less than in Belfast. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.