Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Brackenfell

For one person, living is cheaper in Brackenfell: $1,026 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Brackenfell
Learn more

Brackenfell Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Brackenfell

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,026

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Brackenfell

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Budapest versus $1,026 in Brackenfell.

Budapest $1,647
Brackenfell $1,026

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,567 in Budapest versus $1,612 in Brackenfell.

Budapest $2,567
Brackenfell $1,612

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,488 in Budapest versus $2,198 in Brackenfell.

Budapest $3,488
Brackenfell $2,198

Living in Budapest is roughly 61% more expensive than in Brackenfell, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 22% above, Brackenfell is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$8.78 R 144

55.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

$23.69 R 388

156.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,239

$6.04 R 99.0

65.89%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,075

$2.37 R 38.84

40.51%

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

$2.12 Ft 684

$1.08 R 17.69

96.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 581

$0.97 R 15.82

85.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,166

$2.36 R 38.67

52.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,160

$2.60 R 42.67

38.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 361

$1.01 R 16.63

10.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 623

$1.13 R 18.57

70.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.11 R 34.54

18.01%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,275

$1.79 R 29.29

120.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,646

$8.36 R 137

34.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,177

$2.68 R 43.92

151.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,670

$6.62 R 108

118.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 601

$1.42 R 23.27

30.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$1.89 R 30.89

7.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 740

$1.66 R 27.13

37.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,290

$1.65 R 26.99

141.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 304

$1.38 R 22.56

-31.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 330

$1.03 R 16.83

-0.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 534

$0.88 R 14.34

87.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$1.04 R 17.00

-34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,526

$3.49 R 57.2

123.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,946

$4.17 R 68.3

44.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 418

$1.33 R 21.85

-3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 655

$1.95 R 31.94

3.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 484

$1.86 R 30.40

-19.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,085

$0.92 R 15.02

265.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.89 R 14.65

53.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,451

$4.94 R 80.9

304.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.36 R 22.31

36.76%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$18.2K R 299.0K

56.26%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$19.9K R 326.8K

67.33%

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

$178 Ft 57.6K

$114 R 1,870

56.13%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,623

$26.23 R 430

-10.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,797

$40.36 R 661

-40.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

$24.45 R 401

184.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,505

$11.19 R 183

52.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,388

$8.83 R 145

18.69%

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

$625 Ft 202.1K

$153 R 2,505

308.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$8,044 R 131.8K

144.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.0K

$42.35 R 694

140.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

$22.72 R 372

91.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.5K

$65.7 R 1,077

67.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.0K

$49.96 R 818

141.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 273.3K

$655 R 10.7K

28.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.4K

$397 R 6,504

60.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

$1,270 R 20.8K

26.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

$891 R 14.6K

36.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$749 R 12.3K

641.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$664 R 10.9K

487.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 557.5K

$1,808 R 29.6K

-4.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

10.89

-41.78%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Brackenfell: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Brackenfell

$397 38.7% 37.8% $241

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Brackenfell

$170 16.6% 34.7% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Brackenfell

$181 17.6% 20% $45

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Brackenfell

$142 13.9% 35.4% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Brackenfell

$81 7.9% 51.9% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Brackenfell

$42 4.1% 53.5% $49

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Brackenfell

$13 * 1.3% 70.4% $31

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 $655 in Brackenfell. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brackenfell pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61 in Budapest vs $24 in Brackenfell for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $170 per month, with Brackenfell cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇿🇦 Brackenfell

🕒 Local time

03:46 3:46 AM

04:46 4:46 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

80,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Brackenfell 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Brackenfell

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 Brackenfell: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brackenfell wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Budapest. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Brackenfell the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Budapest. 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: $845 in Budapest versus $655 in Brackenfell. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $625 in Budapest versus $153 in Brackenfell. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brackenfell – a meal for two runs $24 versus $61 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Brackenfell is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.