Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Charlottetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,957 in Charlottetown, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Charlottetown
Learn more

Charlottetown Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Charlottetown

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,957

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Charlottetown

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,957 in Charlottetown, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Charlottetown $1,957

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,920 in Charlottetown, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Charlottetown $2,920

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,882 in Charlottetown, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Charlottetown $3,882

Budapest is about 17% cheaper than Charlottetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Charlottetown sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Charlottetown by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$14.00 CA$19.95

-0.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$59.2 CA$84.3

2.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$9.23 CA$13.16

7.91%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$3.57 CA$5.08

-5.32%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$1.73 CA$2.46

23.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$1.29 CA$1.84

44.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$5.52 CA$7.87

-32.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$5.57 CA$7.94

-35.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$2.23 CA$3.18

-49.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$2.99 CA$4.27

-38.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$4.85 CA$6.91

-50.72%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$3.90 CA$5.56

-1.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$11.34 CA$16.16

-0.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$14.86 CA$21.18

-54.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$16.99 CA$24.22

-13.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$3.52 CA$5.02

-47.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.45 CA$2.07

38.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$3.91 CA$5.57

-39.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$4.72 CA$6.73

-20.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.72 CA$2.45

-44.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$3.12 CA$4.44

-66.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$2.67 CA$3.81

-41.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$2.03 CA$2.90

-67.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$17.45 CA$24.87

-54.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$13.70 CA$19.52

-56.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$3.25 CA$4.64

-60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$3.09 CA$4.41

-32.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$1.42 CA$2.03

5.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$14.18 CA$20.21

94.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$7.29 CA$10.39

-54.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$2.05 CA$2.93

-36.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$27.61 CA$39.35

-28.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.24 CA$1.77

45.97%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$27.6K CA$39.3K

6.25%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$18.3K CA$26.1K

85.98%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$124 CA$177

36.98%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$32.57 CA$46.42

-26.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$73.0 CA$104

-67.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$56.9 CA$81.1

16.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$3.55 CA$5.06

440.28%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$10.57 CA$15.07

-9.93%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$157 CA$224

241.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$39.61 CA$56.5

155.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$33.73 CA$48.08

27.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$83.1 CA$118

35.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$129 CA$184

-8.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$1,091 CA$1,555

-26.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$823 CA$1,174

-23.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$1,747 CA$2,491

-11.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$1,358 CA$1,936

-14.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$3,107 CA$4,428

80.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,923 CA$2,741

106.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$2,415 CA$3,442

-32.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

4.58

40.39%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Charlottetown: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Charlottetown

$823 42.5% 30.9% $194

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Charlottetown

$408 21.1% 58.5% $151

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Charlottetown

$233 12% 4% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Charlottetown

$230 11.9% 5.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Charlottetown

$129 6.6% 23.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Charlottetown

$78 4% 8.5% $7.2

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Charlottetown

$37 1.9% 13.8% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $1,091 in Charlottetown. 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 49% higher in Charlottetown, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $59.0 in Charlottetown. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $408 in Charlottetown – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇦 Charlottetown

🕒 Local time

10:16 10:16 AM

05:16 5:16 AM

5 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

38,809

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Charlottetown 5,940 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Charlottetown

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 Charlottetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Charlottetown is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,936 in Charlottetown. 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.

Public transport costs about 95% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $157 in Charlottetown. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Charlottetown at $1,957. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Charlottetown 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, Charlottetown makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.