Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and the Canary Islands

For one person, living costs are similar in Budapest and in the Canary Islands: $1,619 and $1,650 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in the Canary Islands
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Canary Islands Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in the Canary Islands

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 the Canary Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,650 in the Canary Islands, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Canary Islands $1,650

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,373 in the Canary Islands, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Canary Islands $2,373

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,095 in the Canary Islands, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Canary Islands $3,095

Budapest is about 2% cheaper than the Canary Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Canary Islands sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Canary Islands by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$20.32 €18.07

-31.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$61.1 €54.3

0.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$9.42 €8.38

8.17%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.05 €1.83

59.02%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.86 €1.65

15.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.10 €0.98

61.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.85 €2.53

30.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.42 €3.04

10.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.36 €1.21

-15.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$2.39 €2.13

-25.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.58 €1.40

57.59%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.18 €1.94

78.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$19.31 €17.18

-42.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$9.93 €8.83

-33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$17.23 €15.33

-14.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.73 €2.43

-32.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.25 €2.00

-8.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.16 €1.92

9.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.51 €2.23

55.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.14 €1.91

-53.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.02 €1.80

-50.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.70 €1.51

-7.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.93 €0.83

-27.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.66 €4.14

70.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.86 €6.99

-20.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.70 €1.51

-25.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.75 €1.55

16.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.86 €0.76

76.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.24 €3.78

-21.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.69 €1.50

-18.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$16.59 €14.75

19.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.70 €1.51

7.06%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$24.9K €22.2K

19.57%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$29.0K €25.8K

16.73%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$126 €112

35.72%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$20.91 €18.60

12.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$35.49 €31.57

-34.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$47.49 €42.25

42.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$24.07 €21.41

-21.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$9.85 €8.76

-5.58%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$400 €355

33.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,096 €4,533

228.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$68.3 €60.7

45.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$38.65 €34.38

12.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$89.6 €79.7

23.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$114 €101

4.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$1,111 €988

-25.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$680 €605

-8.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$825 €734

41.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,369 €1,218

20.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.33

93.69%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for the Canary Islands: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Canary Islands

$680 41.2% 9.4% $58

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Canary Islands

$316 19.2% 22.6% $58

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Canary Islands

$248 15.1% 11.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Canary Islands

$182 11.1% 16.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Canary Islands

$140 8.5% 16.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Canary Islands

$67 4.1% 22% $19

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Canary Islands

$16 * 1% 63.6% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $1,111 in the Canary Islands. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 21% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $61.0 in the Canary Islands. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $316 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇪🇸 Canary Islands

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

23:03 11:03 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

12,050

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Canary Islands 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Canary Islands

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 Canary Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Canary Islands is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,475 in the Canary Islands. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $61.0 in the Canary Islands. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in the Canary Islands, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in the Canary Islands at $1,650. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in the Canary Islands it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Canary Islands makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.