Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Bristol

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,891 in Bristol, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 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
138

Cost of Living Index in Bristol
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Bristol Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Bristol

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Bristol

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,621 in Budapest versus $2,891 in Bristol.

Budapest $1,621
Bristol $2,891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,555 in Budapest versus $4,132 in Bristol.

Budapest $2,555
Bristol $4,132

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in Budapest versus $5,373 in Bristol.

Budapest $3,489
Bristol $5,373

Living in Budapest costs roughly 44% less than in Bristol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 21% above, Bristol 116% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$21.56 £16.29

-35.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$113 £85.1

-46.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$10.42 £7.87

-4.41%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$5.03 £3.80

-32.80%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$2.61 £1.97

-18.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$1.83 £1.39

2.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$7.76 £5.86

-51.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$6.72 £5.08

-46.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.55 £1.17

-27.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.66 £1.25

10.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.00 £1.51

19.50%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$4.25 £3.21

-9.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$8.46 £6.39

33.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$9.72 £7.35

-30.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$12.75 £9.64

15.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$3.19 £2.41

-42.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.72 £1.30

16.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.68 £2.02

-11.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$4.00 £3.03

-5.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$2.08 £1.57

-53.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.45 £1.09

-28.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.22 £0.92

27.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$2.01 £1.52

-67.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$22.96 £17.35

-65.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$10.76 £8.13

-44.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$2.78 £2.10

-53.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$3.51 £2.65

-40.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$3.34 £2.53

-55.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$119 £89.8

-76.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$3.36 £2.54

-1.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.63 £1.23

-20.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$26.73 £20.20

-26.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$2.15 £1.62

-15.81%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$37.7K £28.5K

-22.13%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$41.1K £31.1K

-17.01%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$317 £240

-46.44%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$17.38 £13.13

37.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$38.91 £29.40

-39.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$49.01 £37.03

35.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$11.69 £8.83

64.07%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$14.11 £10.66

-32.53%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$2,237 £1,690

-76.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$25.0K £18.9K

-33.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$100 £75.7

1.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$47.31 £35.75

-9.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$105 £79.1

7.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$97.5 £73.7

21.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$1,894 £1,431

-57.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$1,471 £1,112

-57.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$3,100 £2,343

-50.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$2,300 £1,738

-49.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$6,784 £5,126

-17.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$5,111 £3,862

-22.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$3,803 £2,874

-57.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

4.87

32.03%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bristol: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Bristol

$1.5K 51.4% 134% $842

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Bristol

$307 10.7% 19.1% $49

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Bristol

$334 11.7% 49% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Bristol

$374 13% 71.9% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Bristol

$157 5.5% 7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Bristol

$77 2.7% 9.4% $8

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Bristol

$144 5% 231% $100

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $805 in Budapest and $1,894 in Bristol. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bristol pays 134% 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 $113 in Bristol for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $307 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇧 Bristol

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

463,400

💱 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Budapest Bristol 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Bristol

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 Bristol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Bristol differ by about 78% in total monthly costs ($1,621 vs $2,891 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 134% lower in Bristol. 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 $1,894 in Bristol. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Bristol. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Budapest – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $113 in Bristol. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,621 in Budapest versus $2,891 in Bristol, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Bristol. 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 Bristol 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 78% less than in Bristol. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.