Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Gence

For one person, living is cheaper in Gence: $711 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Gence
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Gence Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Gence

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Gence

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $711 in Gence, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Gence $711

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,175 in Gence, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Gence $1,175

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,640 in Gence, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Gence $1,640

Budapest costs about 128% more than Gence, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Gence is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$6.95 ₼11.81

101.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$29.24 ₼49.69

106.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$8.30 ₼14.11

20.00%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$2.65 ₼4.50

27.55%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$0.84 ₼1.44

153.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.49 ₼0.83

281.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$1.21 ₼2.05

209.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$2.38 ₼4.05

50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.33 ₼2.27

-15.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$0.35 ₼0.60

425.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.74 ₼2.95

37.36%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$1.14 ₼1.94

235.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$2.83 ₼4.81

300.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$3.51 ₼5.96

92.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$7.59 ₼12.90

93.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$0.62 ₼1.06

196.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.31 ₼2.22

53.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.38 ₼2.34

71.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$1.06 ₼1.80

255.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$0.63 ₼1.07

52.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$0.51 ₼0.87

101.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.44 ₼0.74

254.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.43 ₼0.73

53.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$3.61 ₼6.13

120.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$1.40 ₼2.38

329.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$0.92 ₼1.56

41.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$1.78 ₼3.03

16.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.30 ₼0.51

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$14.81 ₼25.18

86.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$1.74 ₼2.95

89.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.28 ₼0.47

364.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$2.30 ₼3.91

760.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.69 ₼1.17

162.32%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$20.8K ₼35.3K

41.29%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$22.7K ₼38.5K

50.58%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$33.78 ₼57.4

403.08%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$12.58 ₼21.39

90.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$14.89 ₼25.31

57.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$20.99 ₼35.67

215.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$23.26 ₼39.53

-17.54%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$5.95 ₼10.10

60.00%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$231 ₼392

132.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$5,803 ₼9,863

186.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$89.2 ₼152

13.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$59.1 ₼100

-27.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$125 ₼213

-10.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$118 ₼200

1.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$353 ₼599

128.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$179 ₼303

252.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$579 ₼984

167.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$349 ₼594

234.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$815 ₼1,385

589.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$473 ₼803

739.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$294 ₼500

453.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

-19.63%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Gence: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Gence

$179 24.9% 71.6% $451

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Gence

$120 16.7% 53.5% $138

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Gence

$128 17.9% 42.7% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Gence

$61 8.6% 71.8% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Gence

$176 24.6% 4.1% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Gence

$33 4.6% 61.4% $52

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Gence

$19 2.7% 55.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $353 in Gence. 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 453% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $29.00 in Gence. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $120 – making Gence the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇦🇿 Gence

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

09:19 9:19 AM

2 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

335,800

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.525 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.525 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Gence 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Gence: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 128%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,067 in Gence. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gence, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 86% less in Gence. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $231 in Gence. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gence, where all-in costs run around $711, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Gence it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gence – 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 Gence. 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.