Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Centurion

For one person, living is cheaper in Centurion: $1,369 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Centurion

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $1,369 in Centurion, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Centurion $1,369

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $2,217 in Centurion, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Centurion $2,217

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $3,065 in Centurion, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Centurion $3,065

Budapest costs about 20% more than Centurion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$21.89 R 359

-37.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

$40.08 R 657

51.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,239

$5.78 R 94.6

73.36%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,075

$2.53 R 41.40

31.62%

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

$2.12 Ft 684

$0.99 R 16.28

114.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 581

$0.87 R 14.18

106.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,166

$2.47 R 40.47

46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,160

$3.15 R 51.5

13.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 361

$1.22 R 19.94

-8.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 623

$1.21 R 19.78

59.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.12 R 34.72

17.45%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,275

$2.97 R 48.73

32.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,646

$9.65 R 158

16.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,177

$6.67 R 109

0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,670

$7.24 R 119

99.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 601

$1.84 R 30.10

1.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$1.78 R 29.20

14.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 740

$2.18 R 35.75

5.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,290

$2.10 R 34.38

90.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 304

$1.57 R 25.66

-40.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 330

$1.78 R 29.18

-42.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 534

$1.36 R 22.22

21.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$1.46 R 23.92

-53.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,526

$3.77 R 61.8

107.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,946

$5.94 R 97.4

1.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 418

$1.65 R 27.10

-21.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 655

$2.05 R 33.52

-1.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 484

$2.46 R 40.25

-39.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

$97.5 R 1,597

-72.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,085

$1.18 R 19.26

184.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$1.21 R 19.88

13.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,451

$8.94 R 147

123.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.51 R 24.69

23.18%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$36.0K R 590.2K

-20.84%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$32.0K R 524.1K

4.35%

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

$178 Ft 57.6K

$139 R 2,283

27.84%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,623

$30.87 R 506

-23.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,797

$39.62 R 649

-39.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

$42.87 R 702

62.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,505

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,388

$10.67 R 175

-1.78%

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

$625 Ft 202.1K

$305 R 5,003

104.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$4,335 R 71.0K

353.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.0K

$57.7 R 946

76.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

$44.61 R 731

-2.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.5K

$118 R 1,940

-7.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.0K

$101 R 1,650

19.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 273.3K

$348 R 5,699

143.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.4K

$364 R 5,959

75.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

$563 R 9,232

185.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

$899 R 14.7K

35.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$518 R 8,492

971.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$617 R 10.1K

532.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 557.5K

$2,376 R 38.9K

-27.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

10.5

-39.62%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Centurion: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Centurion

$364 26.6% 43% $275

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Centurion

$223 16.3% 14.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Centurion

$210 15.3% 7.1% $16

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Centurion

$249 18.2% 13.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Centurion

$145 10.6% 14.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Centurion

$64 4.7% 29.2% $26

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Centurion

$115 8.4% 164% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $348 in Centurion. 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 38% higher in Centurion, 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 in Budapest versus $40 in Centurion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $223 – making Centurion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇿🇦 Centurion

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

20:14 8:14 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

236,580

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Centurion 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Centurion

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 Centurion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $2,054 in Centurion. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Centurion, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $348 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Budapest and $305 in Centurion. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,647 in Budapest and $1,369 in Centurion. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.