Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Bethlehem

For one person, living costs are similar in Budapest and in Bethlehem: $1,638 and $1,593 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Bethlehem
Learn more

Bethlehem Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Bethlehem

🇵🇸 Palestine

$1,593

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Bethlehem

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $1,593 in Bethlehem, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Bethlehem $1,593

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $2,473 in Bethlehem, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Bethlehem $2,473

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $3,353 in Bethlehem, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Bethlehem $3,353

Budapest costs about 3% more than Bethlehem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Budapest and Bethlehem sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Bethlehem by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,552

$11.16 ₪34.76

23.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

$49.06 ₪153

25.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,349

$13.91 ₪43.34

-26.96%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,062

$4.48 ₪13.96

-28.13%

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

$2.06 Ft 680

$1.32 ₪4.11

56.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 605

$1.01 ₪3.15

81.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,188

$6.14 ₪19.14

-41.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,208

$8.19 ₪25.51

-55.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.99 ₪6.21

-40.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 617

$0.92 ₪2.86

103.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 780

$2.23 ₪6.94

6.28%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,305

$2.62 ₪8.17

51.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,680

$10.69 ₪33.31

4.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,228

$9.80 ₪30.52

-31.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,731

$20.40 ₪63.6

-29.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 596

$3.67 ₪11.43

-50.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$2.05 ₪6.38

2.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 770

$1.59 ₪4.94

46.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,254

$2.36 ₪7.35

61.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$1.50 ₪4.67

-34.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$1.59 ₪4.95

-38.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 512

$1.64 ₪5.10

-5.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 230

$1.00 ₪3.10

-30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,569

$10.02 ₪31.20

-22.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,995

$14.48 ₪45.10

-58.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$2.22 ₪6.92

-42.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 672

$2.22 ₪6.91

-8.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$2.44 ₪7.61

-36.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

$144 ₪447

-81.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$3.18 ₪9.92

3.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$3.33 ₪10.37

-60.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,679

$3.20 ₪9.97

533.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 600

$2.37 ₪7.37

-23.21%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$40.9K ₪127.4K

-29.79%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$48.3K ₪150.4K

-31.47%

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

$172 Ft 56.8K

$195 ₪609

-11.90%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,897

$39.21 ₪122

-38.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,685

$32.23 ₪100

-27.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$65.7 ₪205

4.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

$32.15 ₪100

-41.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,356

$8.32 ₪25.90

22.36%

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

$600 Ft 197.9K

$98.8 ₪308

507.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$9,843 ₪30.7K

70.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$49.10 ₪153

101.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

$97.0 ₪302

-55.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$112 ₪349

0.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$164 ₪511

-28.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

$481 ₪1,497

73.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

$329 ₪1,024

94.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

$895 ₪2,788

78.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

$639 ₪1,991

88.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$1,618 ₪5,040

247.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$1,125 ₪3,505

237.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

$1,304 ₪4,063

28.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-35.50%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bethlehem: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Bethlehem

$329 20.7% 48.6% $311

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Bethlehem

$310 19.5% 20.1% $52

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Bethlehem

$241 15.1% 9.4% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Bethlehem

$267 16.8% 21.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Bethlehem

$190 11.9% 13.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Bethlehem

$82 5.2% 7.4% $6.6

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Bethlehem

$173 10.9% 300% $130

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $481 in Bethlehem. 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 28% higher in Budapest. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $49 in Bethlehem. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $310 in Bethlehem – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇸 Bethlehem

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

18:45 6:45 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

29,019

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.288 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.47 ILS (1 ILS = 0.288 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Bethlehem 2,230 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 Bethlehem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $2,389 in Bethlehem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bethlehem, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $836 in Budapest.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,638 in Budapest and $1,593 in Bethlehem. That’s a gap of about 3%.

Public transport costs about 81% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,638 in Budapest and $1,593 in Bethlehem. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Bethlehem – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Bethlehem. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.