Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Duncans

For one person, living is cheaper in Duncans: $1,011 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Duncans
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Duncans Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Duncans

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Duncans

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $1,011 in Duncans, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Duncans $1,011

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $1,673 in Duncans, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Duncans $1,673

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $2,336 in Duncans, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Duncans $2,336

Budapest costs about 62% more than Duncans, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Duncans is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,548

$13.60 JMD 2,144

1.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

-18.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,345

$8.14 JMD 1,284

24.82%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,061

$5.44 JMD 858

-40.81%

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

$2.06 Ft 679

$1.14 JMD 180

80.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 604

$0.71 JMD 111

157.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,187

$2.25 JMD 355

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,207

$3.21 JMD 507

14.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$4.15 JMD 655

-71.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 616

$3.73 JMD 588

-49.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 779

$1.58 JMD 249

50.00%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,304

$3.58 JMD 565

10.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,677

$11.50 JMD 1,813

-2.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,226

$6.21 JMD 979

8.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,727

$10.34 JMD 1,631

38.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 595

$6.01 JMD 947

-69.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$3.97 JMD 625

-46.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 769

$7.54 JMD 1,190

-69.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,253

$3.02 JMD 476

25.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$3.32 JMD 523

-70.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$2.61 JMD 411

-62.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 511

$3.01 JMD 475

-48.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 229

$1.43 JMD 226

-51.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,567

$9.48 JMD 1,494

-17.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,993

$11.25 JMD 1,775

-46.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$2.78 JMD 439

-53.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 671

$3.96 JMD 625

-48.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,987

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,086

$1.27 JMD 200

159.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$3.20 JMD 505

-59.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,673

$6.23 JMD 983

225.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 599

$1.45 JMD 228

25.52%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

-34.84%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

2.88%

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

$172 Ft 56.7K

$171 JMD 27.0K

0.51%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,890

$29.64 JMD 4,674

-19.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,679

$51.8 JMD 8,166

-54.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,229

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,353

$13.41 JMD 2,115

-24.09%

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

$600 Ft 197.8K

$355 JMD 56.0K

69.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$8,307 JMD 1.3M

102.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$23.91 JMD 3,771

314.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

$31.38 JMD 4,949

37.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

43.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$103 JMD 16.3K

13.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

9.45

-31.75%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Duncans: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Duncans

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Duncans

$384 38% 48.6% $125

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Duncans

$224 22.1% 1.4% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Duncans

$253 25% 15.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Duncans

$107 10.6% 36.3% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Duncans

$27 * 2.7% 69.8% $62

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Duncans

$17 * 1.7% 60.1% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $76 in Duncans. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $384 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇲 Duncans

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

09:38 9:38 AM

6 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

5,153

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Duncans 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Duncans

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 Duncans: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $1,517 in Duncans. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $76 in Duncans. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 33% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Duncans, where all-in costs run around $1,011, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Duncans it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Budapest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,011 in Duncans to $1,638 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.