Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Bridgend

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,403 in Bridgend, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Bridgend
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Bridgend Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Bridgend

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,403

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Bridgend

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $2,403 in Bridgend.

Budapest $1,619
Bridgend $2,403

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $3,539 in Bridgend.

Budapest $2,524
Bridgend $3,539

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $4,675 in Bridgend.

Budapest $3,429
Bridgend $4,675

Living in Budapest costs roughly 33% less than in Bridgend, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 20% above, Bridgend 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$20.59 £15.44

-32.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$86.1 £64.6

-28.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$10.60 £7.95

-3.87%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.86 £3.64

-32.92%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.52 £1.89

-15.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.79 £1.34

-0.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$6.75 £5.06

-45.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$6.37 £4.78

-40.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.63 £1.23

-29.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.83 £1.37

-2.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.73 £2.05

-8.79%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$6.25 £4.69

-37.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.23 £6.93

20.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$11.63 £8.72

-43.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.48 £10.87

1.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.95 £2.21

-37.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.55 £1.17

32.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.74 £2.05

-13.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.30 £2.48

18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.67 £1.25

-40.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.52 £1.14

-34.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.21 £0.90

30.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.58 £1.19

-57.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$23.75 £17.82

-66.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$10.44 £7.83

-40.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.97 £2.23

-57.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.19 £2.40

-36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$3.40 £2.55

-55.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$97.9 £73.4

-71.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.84 £3.63

-31.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.03 £1.52

-32.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$25.85 £19.39

-23.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.02 £1.52

-9.90%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$37.7K £28.3K

-20.94%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$50.8K £38.1K

-33.46%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$360 £270

-52.47%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$25.43 £19.08

-7.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$35.20 £26.40

-33.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$47.82 £35.88

41.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$10.51 £7.89

79.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$13.12 £9.85

-29.12%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$1,617 £1,213

-67.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$21.9K £16.5K

-23.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$87.5 £65.6

13.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$45.20 £33.91

-3.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$88.1 £66.1

25.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$91.1 £68.3

30.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$1,219 £914

-31.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$998 £749

-37.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,141 £856

39.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,671 £1,253

-29.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$5,014 £3,761

16.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$3,851 £2,889

0.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$2,290 £1,718

-27.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.09

26.72%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bridgend: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Bridgend

$998 41.5% 60.4% $376

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Bridgend

$325 13.5% 26.1% $67

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Bridgend

$318 13.3% 42.8% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Bridgend

$421 17.5% 93% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Bridgend

$140 5.8% 16.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Bridgend

$74 3.1% 14% $12

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Bridgend

$126 5.3% 186% $82

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $1,219 in Bridgend. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bridgend pays 39% 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: $61.0 in Budapest vs $86.0 in Bridgend for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $325 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇧 Bridgend

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

20:20 8:20 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

46,757

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Between locations

Budapest Bridgend 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Budapest
Bridgend

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 Bridgend: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Bridgend differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,619 vs $2,403 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Bridgend. 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: $830 in Budapest versus $1,219 in Bridgend. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $533 in Budapest versus $1,617 in Bridgend. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Bridgend. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,619 in Budapest versus $2,403 in Bridgend, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Bridgend. The gap between the two cities makes Budapest 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.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Bridgend 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 48% less than in Bridgend. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.