Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and East London

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $978 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
47

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in East London

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $978 in East London, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
East London $978

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $1,499 in East London, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
East London $1,499

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $2,020 in East London, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
East London $2,020

Budapest costs about 68% more than East London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while East London is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,443

$7.97 R 132

71.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.8K

$33.73 R 558

79.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,266

$5.09 R 84.2

96.86%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,084

$2.05 R 33.84

62.44%

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

$2.12 Ft 690

$1.01 R 16.63

109.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 586

$0.72 R 11.98

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,176

$2.65 R 43.81

36.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,170

$3.11 R 51.3

15.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 364

$1.12 R 18.48

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 628

$0.91 R 15.03

112.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 811

$1.46 R 24.07

70.55%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,286

$2.35 R 38.80

67.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,677

$8.42 R 139

33.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,195

$5.20 R 86.0

29.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,708

$7.93 R 131

82.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 606

$1.74 R 28.80

6.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 664

$1.52 R 25.07

34.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 746

$1.62 R 26.74

41.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,301

$1.57 R 26.02

154.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 307

$1.69 R 27.86

-44.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 333

$1.42 R 23.54

-28.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 539

$1.23 R 20.38

34.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 222

$1.01 R 16.73

-32.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,547

$2.95 R 48.79

164.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,963

$4.88 R 80.7

23.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 421

$1.05 R 17.31

22.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 660

$0.97 R 16.01

108.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 488

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,842

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,094

$1.18 R 19.54

184.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 448

$0.50 R 8.20

174.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,505

$8.61 R 142

131.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 608

$1.46 R 24.13

27.40%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.3M

$35.3K R 583.5K

-19.22%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.9M

$29.4K R 485.4K

13.68%

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

$178 Ft 58.1K

$123 R 2,037

44.55%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,686

$30.34 R 502

-22.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,861

$45.33 R 749

-46.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.7K

$39.33 R 650

77.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,551

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,416

$5.04 R 83.3

107.94%

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

$625 Ft 203.8K

$175 R 2,891

257.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$5,508 R 91.0K

256.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.3K

$56.1 R 927

81.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.2K

$32.59 R 539

33.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$73.5 R 1,215

49.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.3K

$94.8 R 1,567

27.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 275.5K

$238 R 3,928

255.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 208.1K

$296 R 4,884

116.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 524.4K

$603 R 9,971

166.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 396.7K

$566 R 9,354

115.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$481 R 7,944

1055.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$833 R 13.8K

368.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 562.1K

$1,442 R 23.8K

19.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

11.33

-44.04%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for East London: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

East London

$295 30.2% 53.7% $343

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

East London

$185 18.9% 28.9% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

East London

$199 20.4% 11.9% $27

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

East London

$130 13.3% 40.9% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

East London

$116 11.8% 31.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

East London

$49 5.1% 45.5% $41

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

East London

$3.7 * 0.4% 91.6% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $238 in East London. 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 20% 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 $61 in Budapest versus $34 in East London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $185 – making East London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇿🇦 East London

🕒 Local time

22:15 10:15 PM

23:15 11:15 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

267,007

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest East London 9,000 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
East London

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 East London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $1,467 in East London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $238 there versus $845 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $34 in East London. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Budapest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Budapest at $1,647. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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