Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Elmina

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
Learn more

Elmina Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Elmina

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $668 in Elmina, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Elmina $668

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,125 in Elmina, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Elmina $1,125

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,582 in Elmina, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Elmina $1,582

Budapest costs about 142% more than Elmina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Elmina is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,517

$7.82 GHS 90.8

78.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$50.8 GHS 590

20.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,302

$10.26 GHS 119

-0.68%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,058

$4.46 GHS 51.7

-26.91%

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

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.53 GHS 17.80

39.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 578

$0.44 GHS 5.11

304.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,202

$1.81 GHS 20.98

104.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,221

$2.17 GHS 25.12

73.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$3.67 GHS 42.57

-68.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 579

$1.67 GHS 19.32

7.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$3.06 GHS 35.54

-18.63%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,265

$2.68 GHS 31.13

45.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,599

$12.03 GHS 140

-7.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,146

$7.08 GHS 82.1

-6.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,761

$9.62 GHS 112

52.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 593

$3.61 GHS 41.82

-49.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 663

$1.40 GHS 16.28

46.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 768

$1.77 GHS 20.53

33.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,264

$3.56 GHS 41.34

9.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 321

$2.69 GHS 31.21

-63.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$2.65 GHS 30.74

-62.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$0.72 GHS 8.32

119.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.60 GHS 7.01

11.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,580

$2.51 GHS 29.12

217.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,015

$7.06 GHS 81.9

-11.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 412

$1.21 GHS 14.07

4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

$2.33 GHS 27.07

-12.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,082

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,073

$1.74 GHS 20.24

90.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$1.26 GHS 14.61

8.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,427

$4.30 GHS 49.87

361.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 590

$1.34 GHS 15.54

35.82%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$7,913 GHS 91.8K

276.55%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$9,662 GHS 112.1K

249.96%

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

$171 Ft 55.5K

$73.7 GHS 855

132.18%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,620

$19.07 GHS 221

23.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,550

$42.25 GHS 490

-44.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,124

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,013

$12.66 GHS 147

-26.54%

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

$533 Ft 172.9K

$470 GHS 5,450

13.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$18.6K GHS 216.0K

-10.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$14.18 GHS 164

602.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$18.59 GHS 216

133.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$36.74 GHS 426

200.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$52.0 GHS 603

128.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 516.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

26.75

-75.89%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Elmina

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Elmina

$276 41.4% 7.1% $18

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Elmina

$168 25.2% 24.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Elmina

$135 20.2% 38% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Elmina

$55 8.2% 67.4% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Elmina

$25 * 3.8% 70.6% $61

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Elmina

$8 * 1.2% 81.8% $36

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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $51.0 in Elmina. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $276 in Elmina – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇭 Elmina

🕒 Local time

14:14 2:14 PM

12:14 12:14 PM

2 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

34,403

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 GHS = 8.62 USD

100 GHS = 7.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 11.6 GHS (100 GHS = 8.62 USD). 1 EUR = 13.01 GHS (100 GHS = 7.69 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Elmina 5,100 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Elmina

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 Elmina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 142%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,001 in Elmina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $51.0 in Elmina. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% 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 Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Elmina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elmina – 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 Elmina. 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.