Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Delhi

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $520 in Delhi, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Delhi $520

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $858 in Delhi, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Delhi $858

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,195 in Delhi, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Delhi $1,195

Budapest costs about 212% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Delhi is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$3.67 ₹355

281.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$20.95 ₹2,027

188.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$3.74 ₹362

166.31%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.33 ₹226

45.06%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.37 ₹35.82

475.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.20 ₹18.91

835.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.02 ₹195

85.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.19 ₹308

11.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$0.68 ₹65.9

66.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$0.52 ₹50.2

253.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$0.83 ₹80.0

187.95%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$1.07 ₹104

257.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$4.43 ₹428

155.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$3.37 ₹326

100.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$1.99 ₹192

-7.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$0.72 ₹70.1

179.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.02 ₹98.4

131.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$0.52 ₹50.1

625.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.27 ₹25.96

255.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$0.37 ₹35.42

178.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.43 ₹41.64

262.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.31 ₹30.39

112.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$4.92 ₹476

61.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$8.34 ₹808

-27.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.64 ₹159

-20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.70 ₹261

-22.96%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.46 ₹44.04

226.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$15.29 ₹1,480

80.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$1.03 ₹99.8

220.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.27 ₹26.38

381.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$1.53 ₹148

1192.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.05 ₹102

72.38%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$10.5K ₹1.0M

180.27%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$18.4K ₹1.8M

85.70%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$42.67 ₹4,129

298.27%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$4.04 ₹391

493.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$6.75 ₹653

246.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$19.40 ₹1,878

241.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$8.06 ₹780

137.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$5.08 ₹492

87.40%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$100 ₹9,696

435.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$2,268 ₹219.5K

632.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$24.14 ₹2,336

319.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$28.38 ₹2,747

51.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$53.3 ₹5,160

111.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$44.13 ₹4,271

169.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$264 ₹25.5K

205.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$154 ₹14.9K

308.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$736 ₹71.2K

110.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$397 ₹38.5K

193.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,494 ₹241.4K

125.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,017 ₹98.4K

290.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$585 ₹56.7K

177.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

8.33

-22.81%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 75.5% $475

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 58.1% $150

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 61.1% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 75.4% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Delhi

$67 13% 60.1% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 65.3% $56

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 55.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $264 in Delhi. 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 178% higher in Budapest, 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 $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $108 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

10:18 10:18 AM

3 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Delhi 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 212%, 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 $780 in Delhi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 81% less in Delhi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $100 in Delhi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Delhi – 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 Delhi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.