Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

For one person, living costs are similar in Budapest and in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: $1,621 and $1,600 a month, rent and utilities included.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,600
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

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 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,600 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,621
  • Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $1,600

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,345 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,555
  • Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $2,345

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,090 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,489
  • Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $3,090

Budapest costs about 1% more than Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Budapest and Gran Canaria, Canary Islands sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands by 19%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.99 Ft 4,570
$15.29 €13.70
-8.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.3 Ft 19.7K
$57.5 €51.5
4.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 Ft 3,255
$10.40 €9.32
-4.23%
Cappuccino
$3.38 Ft 1,105
$2.13 €1.91
58.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 Ft 696
$2.41 €2.16
-11.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 Ft 611
$1.71 €1.54
9.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 Ft 1,226
$3.23 €2.90
16.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 Ft 1,167
$3.38 €3.03
5.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 Ft 370
$1.20 €1.08
-5.83%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 Ft 602
$1.35 €1.21
36.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 Ft 780
$1.62 €1.45
47.53%
Eggs
$3.83 Ft 1,250
$2.80 €2.51
36.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 Ft 3,702
$13.71 €12.28
-17.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.74 Ft 2,201
$8.26 €7.40
-18.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,800
$15.30 €13.71
-3.99%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 Ft 600
$2.46 €2.21
-25.20%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 Ft 656
$1.97 €1.76
2.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 Ft 770
$1.98 €1.77
19.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 Ft 1,232
$2.56 €2.29
47.27%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 Ft 315
$1.71 €1.53
-43.86%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 Ft 336
$2.05 €1.84
-49.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 Ft 511
$1.31 €1.17
19.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 Ft 217
$0.76 €0.68
-13.16%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,602
$6.27 €5.61
26.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 Ft 1,963
$5.68 €5.09
5.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 Ft 423
$1.25 €1.12
4.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 Ft 679
$2.04 €1.83
1.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 Ft 491
$1.70 €1.52
-11.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.61 Ft 9,021
$34.53 €30.93
-20.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.30 Ft 1,079
$4.00 €3.58
-17.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 Ft 426
$1.24 €1.11
4.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.78 Ft 6,465
$24.63 €22.06
-19.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 Ft 593
$1.80 €1.61
0.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K Ft 9.6M
$38.4K €34.4K
-23.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
$30.4K €27.3K
12.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 Ft 55.5K
$133 €119
27.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.98 Ft 7,836
$21.10 €18.90
13.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.42 Ft 7,654
$30.91 €27.69
-24.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
$47.28 €42.36
40.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 Ft 6,266
$15.31 €13.72
25.28%
Cinema Ticket
$9.52 Ft 3,112
$9.19 €8.23
3.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$537 Ft 175.4K
$409 €366
31.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
$8,292 €7,428
100.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 Ft 33.1K
$85.1 €76.2
19.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
$35.30 €31.62
21.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 Ft 36.8K
$89.1 €79.8
26.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.8K
$108 €96.6
10.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 Ft 263.1K
$843 €755
-4.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 205.6K
$689 €618
-8.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 Ft 506.3K
$1,304 €1,168
18.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,167 Ft 381.4K
$995 €891
17.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
$3,345 €2,996
67.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
$2,308 €2,068
71.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,626 Ft 531.3K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
3.5
83.71%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$629
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$689 9.6% $60
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$262 1.6% $4.1
Eating Out
Budapest
$224
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$218 2.6% $5.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$217
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$185 14.8% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$169
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$143 15.6% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$85
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$66 23% $20
Getting Around
Budapest
$43
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$52 18.7% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $843 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $57.0 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $262 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇪🇸 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
🕒 Local time
10:43 10:43 AM
09:43 9:43 AM
1 h behind Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
862,893
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

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 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gran Canaria, Canary Islands cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,401 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 25% less in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $409 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, where all-in costs run around $1,600, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Gran Canaria, Canary Islands it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Gran Canaria, Canary Islands more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Gran Canaria, Canary Islands – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Gran Canaria, Canary Islands?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. 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.

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