Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Biratnagar

For one person, living is cheaper in Biratnagar: $320 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
15

Cost of Living Index in Biratnagar
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Biratnagar Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Biratnagar

🇳🇵 Nepal

$320

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Biratnagar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Budapest versus $320 in Biratnagar.

Budapest $1,647
Biratnagar $320

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,567 in Budapest versus $525 in Biratnagar.

Budapest $2,567
Biratnagar $525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,488 in Budapest versus $731 in Biratnagar.

Budapest $3,488
Biratnagar $731

Living in Budapest is roughly 414% more expensive than in Biratnagar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 22% above, Biratnagar is 76% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$1.57 NPR 237

768.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$14.00 NPR 2,117

333.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$7.72 NPR 1,167

29.79%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$1.20 NPR 181

177.50%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$0.32 NPR 47.70

562.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$1.46 NPR 221

147.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$2.09 NPR 316

71.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$0.57 NPR 86.4

96.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.38 NPR 57.7

407.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$0.59 NPR 89.5

322.03%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$1.21 NPR 183

225.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$4.57 NPR 691

146.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$2.73 NPR 413

146.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$3.16 NPR 477

356.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$2.00 NPR 302

-7.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$0.75 NPR 114

172.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$1.34 NPR 202

70.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$0.52 NPR 79.3

667.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$0.36 NPR 55.1

161.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$0.46 NPR 69.6

121.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$0.25 NPR 37.71

560.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.29 NPR 43.37

134.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,533

$2.67 NPR 404

192.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.61 NPR 244

-19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$2.33 NPR 352

-13.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 485

$0.17 NPR 25.00

782.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,792

$11.61 NPR 1,755

133.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,088

$1.98 NPR 300

69.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$2.35 NPR 355

749.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.18 NPR 179

57.63%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$20.7K NPR 3.1M

37.79%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$4.20 NPR 636

461.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$9.30 NPR 1,406

159.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.6K

$27.74 NPR 4,194

151.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,520

$1.95 NPR 295

773.33%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,397

$3.19 NPR 483

228.53%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$47.75 NPR 7,221

1209.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$1,773 NPR 268.1K

1007.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$20.26 NPR 3,063

403.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$33.19 NPR 5,020

30.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$24.39 NPR 3,688

350.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$29.19 NPR 4,413

313.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 274.0K

$46.79 NPR 7,076

1706.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.9K

$52.3 NPR 7,905

1121.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 521.5K

$132 NPR 20.0K

1116.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 394.5K

$97.5 NPR 14.7K

1148.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$396 NPR 59.9K

1301.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$267 NPR 40.3K

1362.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 559.0K

$165 NPR 24.9K

948.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

-54.71%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Biratnagar: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Biratnagar

$52 16.3% 91.8% $586

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Biratnagar

$95 * 29.7% 63.4% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Biratnagar

$14 * 4.2% 94% $212

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Biratnagar

$63 * 19.6% 71.4% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Biratnagar

$48 15% 71.5% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Biratnagar

$34 10.7% 62.4% $57

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Biratnagar

$14 * 4.5% 67.1% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $845 in Budapest and $47 in Biratnagar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays about 10 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Budapest vs $14 in Biratnagar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $95 per month, with Biratnagar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇳🇵 Biratnagar

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

08:06 8:06 AM

4 h 45 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

166,674

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.61 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 151 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.61 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.89 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Biratnagar 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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 Biratnagar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Biratnagar is about 81% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Budapest is about 10 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $845 in Budapest versus $47 in Biratnagar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 173% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Biratnagar – a meal for two runs $14 versus $61 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $320 in Biratnagar versus $1,647 in Budapest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Biratnagar but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Biratnagar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Biratnagar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.