Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Buckingham

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,219 in Buckingham, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Buckingham
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Buckingham Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Buckingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Buckingham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $2,219 in Buckingham.

Budapest $1,619
Buckingham $2,219

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $3,265 in Buckingham.

Budapest $2,524
Buckingham $3,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $4,311 in Buckingham.

Budapest $3,429
Buckingham $4,311

Living in Budapest costs roughly 27% less than in Buckingham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 20% above, Buckingham 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$20.03 £15.03

-30.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$78.9 £59.2

-22.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$10.44 £7.83

-2.39%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.60 £3.45

-29.13%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.05 £1.54

4.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.50 £1.12

18.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$5.45 £4.09

-31.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.52 £3.39

-16.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.51 £1.13

-23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.77 £1.33

1.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.82 £2.11

-11.70%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$4.04 £3.03

-3.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.09 £6.82

22.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.72 £5.79

-14.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$16.42 £12.32

-10.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.29 £2.47

-44.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.54 £1.16

33.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.80 £2.10

-15.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.20 £2.40

21.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.16 £0.87

-14.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.73 £1.30

-42.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.29 £0.97

22.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.35 £1.01

-50.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$23.66 £17.75

-66.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$10.10 £7.57

-38.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$3.14 £2.36

-59.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.28 £1.71

-10.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$3.38 £2.53

-55.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$94.7 £71.1

-70.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.18 £3.14

-20.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.69 £2.02

-49.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$32.36 £24.28

-38.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.04 £1.53

-10.78%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$38.4K £28.8K

-22.36%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$41.3K £31.0K

-18.10%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$200 £150

-14.43%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$17.46 £13.10

34.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$43.68 £32.77

-46.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$45.77 £34.34

47.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$13.38 £10.04

-30.49%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$1,464 £1,099

-63.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$22.0K £16.5K

-23.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$84.3 £63.2

18.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$31.33 £23.50

38.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$73.7 £55.3

49.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$97.2 £72.9

22.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$1,462 £1,097

-43.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$1,036 £777

-39.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$2,105 £1,579

-24.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,659 £1,244

-29.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$5,081 £3,812

14.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$3,819 £2,865

1.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$4,447 £3,336

-62.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.06

27.47%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Buckingham: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Buckingham

$1K 46.7% 66.6% $414

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Buckingham

$297 13.4% 15.2% $39

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Buckingham

$297 13.4% 33.3% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Buckingham

$261 11.8% 19.8% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Buckingham

$129 5.8% 23.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Buckingham

$73 3.3% 15.8% $14

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Buckingham

$126 5.7% 185% $82

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $1,462 in Buckingham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buckingham pays 169% 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 $79.0 in Buckingham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $297 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇧 Buckingham

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

09:28 9:28 AM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

12,890

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Buckingham 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Buckingham

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 Buckingham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Buckingham differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,619 vs $2,219 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 169% lower in Buckingham. 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 $1,462 in Buckingham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,619 per month in Budapest versus $2,219 in Buckingham – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Budapest runs roughly 238% less than in Buckingham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,619 in Budapest versus $2,219 in Buckingham, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Buckingham. 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 Buckingham 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 37% less than in Buckingham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.