Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Elad

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,620 in Elad, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
129

Cost of Living Index in Elad
Learn more

Elad Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Elad

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Elad

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $2,620 in Elad, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Elad $2,620

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $3,801 in Elad, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Elad $3,801

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $4,981 in Elad, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Elad $4,981

Budapest is about 38% cheaper than Elad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Elad sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Elad by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$22.51 ₪70.0

-38.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$96.6 ₪300

-36.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$20.45 ₪63.6

-50.17%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$5.09 ₪15.84

-35.95%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$3.09 ₪9.62

-30.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$2.31 ₪7.19

-22.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$10.93 ₪34.02

-66.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$10.00 ₪31.11

-62.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.25 ₪7.01

-48.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$2.32 ₪7.21

-22.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.36 ₪7.33

5.51%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$5.06 ₪15.76

-22.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$21.21 ₪66.0

-47.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$12.98 ₪40.39

-49.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$25.12 ₪78.2

-41.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$4.31 ₪13.42

-57.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$3.74 ₪11.63

-45.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.43 ₪7.56

-2.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.36 ₪10.45

16.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.70 ₪5.30

-41.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.43 ₪4.44

-30.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$2.65 ₪8.23

-40.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.95 ₪2.95

-29.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$13.96 ₪43.44

-42.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$10.91 ₪33.93

-42.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.85 ₪8.88

-55.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.44 ₪7.60

-16.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.51 ₪7.81

-39.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$99.5 ₪310

-71.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.65 ₪8.23

24.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.14 ₪3.53

20.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$19.56 ₪60.9

1.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.65 ₪8.24

-31.32%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$56.2K ₪174.8K

-46.97%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$56.8K ₪176.6K

-40.44%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$258 ₪804

-33.80%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$11.09 ₪34.50

111.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$34.91 ₪109

-33.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$77.7 ₪242

-13.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$13.09 ₪40.73

-28.95%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$1,145 ₪3,561

-53.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$24.7K ₪76.8K

-32.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$37.48 ₪117

165.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$40.38 ₪126

7.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$95.7 ₪298

15.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$116 ₪359

2.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$1,452 ₪4,518

-42.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$1,144 ₪3,559

-45.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$2,312 ₪7,192

-31.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,665 ₪5,179

-29.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$8,405 ₪26.1K

-30.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$8,743 ₪27.2K

-55.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.03

28.23%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Elad: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Elad

$1.1K 43.7% 84% $522

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Elad

$421 16.1% 63.1% $163

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Elad

$399 15.2% 78.8% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Elad

$304 11.6% 39.7% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Elad

$130 5% 22.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Elad

$104 4% 20.7% $18

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Elad

$118 4.5% 167% $74

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $1,452 in Elad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $97.0 in Elad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $421 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇱 Elad

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

00:25 12:25 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

47,033

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Elad 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Elad

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 Elad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $3,930 in Elad. 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 255% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $1,145 in Elad. 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 $1,619, than in Elad at $2,620. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Elad 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, Elad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.