Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Freetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,818 in Freetown, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Freetown outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Freetown
Learn more

Freetown Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Freetown

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,818 in Freetown, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Freetown $1,818

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,527 in Freetown, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Freetown $1,527

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,235 in Freetown, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Freetown $1,235

Budapest is about 11% cheaper than Freetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Budapest and Freetown sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Freetown by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$2.05 SLL 46.9K

582.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$40.07 SLL 915.6K

50.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$11.02 SLL 251.7K

-9.62%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.82 SLL 64.5K

19.86%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$1.88 SLL 42.9K

13.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.87 SLL 19.8K

114.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.30 SLL 52.5K

63.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.47 SLL 79.3K

2.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$2.49 SLL 56.9K

-54.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$0.65 SLL 14.7K

183.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.33 SLL 30.3K

79.70%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$1.80 SLL 41.0K

112.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$6.99 SLL 159.7K

62.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$10.13 SLL 231.4K

-33.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$5.34 SLL 122.0K

175.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$7.05 SLL 161.1K

-73.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$2.95 SLL 67.3K

-31.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$0.69 SLL 15.8K

242.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$4.90 SLL 112.0K

-23.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$2.05 SLL 46.7K

-53.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.67 SLL 38.1K

-38.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.15 SLL 26.3K

-42.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$3.06 SLL 69.9K

160.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$7.83 SLL 179.0K

-23.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.60 SLL 36.7K

-18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$1.93 SLL 44.2K

7.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.45 SLL 10.3K

233.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$0.52 SLL 12.0K

534.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.49 SLL 11.2K

165.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.34 SLL 30.7K

35.07%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$12.1K SLL 276.2M

142.60%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$25.0K SLL 571.5M

36.37%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$58.9 SLL 1.3M

188.47%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$9.88 SLL 225.8K

142.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$54.4 SLL 1.2M

-56.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$9.90 SLL 226.2K

923.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$19.77 SLL 451.7K

470.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$49.66 SLL 1.1M

139.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$919 SLL 21.0M

-12.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$1,253 SLL 28.6M

-49.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$3,520 SLL 80.4M

-55.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$1,349 SLL 30.8M

20.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Freetown: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Freetown

$1.3K 69.9% 99.1% $624

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Freetown

$263 * 14.7% 1.9% $4.9

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Freetown

$113 6.3% 49.7% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Freetown

$123 6.9% 43.3% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Freetown

$36 * 2% 78.9% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Freetown

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Freetown

$4.8 * 0.3% 89% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $919 in Freetown. 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 21% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $40.00 in Freetown. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $263 in Freetown – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇸🇱 Freetown

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

2 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

951,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SLL, 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).

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 22,848 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD). 1 EUR = 25,626 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.9 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Freetown 5,300 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Freetown

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 Freetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Freetown is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,728 in Freetown. 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.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Freetown, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest and $40.00 in Freetown. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Freetown at $1,818. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Freetown 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, Freetown makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.