Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Grundarfjordur

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $1,722 in Grundarfjordur, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Grundarfjordur despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Grundarfjordur
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Grundarfjordur Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Grundarfjordur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Grundarfjordur

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,722 in Grundarfjordur, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Grundarfjordur $1,722

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,930 in Grundarfjordur, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Grundarfjordur $2,930

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $4,138 in Grundarfjordur, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Grundarfjordur $4,138

Budapest is about 6% cheaper than Grundarfjordur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Grundarfjordur sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Grundarfjordur by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,517

$31.43 ISK 3,813

-55.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$123 ISK 14.9K

-50.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,302

$27.34 ISK 3,318

-62.73%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,058

$6.73 ISK 816

-51.56%

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

$2.14 Ft 693

$3.35 ISK 406

-36.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 578

$3.02 ISK 367

-41.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,202

$13.78 ISK 1,672

-73.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,221

$12.34 ISK 1,497

-69.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$2.11 ISK 256

-45.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 579

$4.31 ISK 523

-58.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$3.60 ISK 437

-30.83%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,265

$7.15 ISK 868

-45.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,599

$21.52 ISK 2,612

-48.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,146

$24.59 ISK 2,984

-73.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,761

$41.30 ISK 5,012

-64.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 593

$3.23 ISK 392

-43.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 663

$2.88 ISK 349

-28.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 768

$3.27 ISK 397

-27.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,264

$6.39 ISK 776

-38.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 321

$3.96 ISK 480

-75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$1.68 ISK 204

-40.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$3.67 ISK 445

-56.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$1.83 ISK 222

-63.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,580

$13.67 ISK 1,659

-41.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,015

$23.72 ISK 2,878

-73.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 412

$3.53 ISK 428

-64.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

$3.48 ISK 423

-41.67%

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

$6.67 ISK 810

-50.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$2.90 ISK 352

-52.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,427

$81.7 ISK 9,918

-75.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 590

$2.02 ISK 245

-9.90%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$51.5K ISK 6.3M

-42.15%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$52.9K ISK 6.4M

-36.12%

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

$171 Ft 55.5K

$97.1 ISK 11.8K

76.27%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,620

$32.85 ISK 3,987

-28.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,550

$85.2 ISK 10.3K

-72.65%

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

$19.40 ISK 2,354

-52.06%

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

$533 Ft 172.9K

$1,191 ISK 144.5K

-55.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$25.8K ISK 3.1M

-35.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$147 ISK 17.8K

-32.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$66.1 ISK 8,026

-34.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$185 ISK 22.5K

-40.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$253 ISK 30.7K

-52.97%

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

$1,121 ISK 136.0K

246.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.81

-26.79%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Grundarfjordur: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Grundarfjordur

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Grundarfjordur

$621 36.1% 141% $363

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Grundarfjordur

$533 31% 139% $310

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Grundarfjordur

$215 12.5% 1.3% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Grundarfjordur

$293 17% 74.9% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Grundarfjordur

$39 * 2.3% 54.9% $47

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Grundarfjordur

$21 * 1.2% 52.1% $23

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 $123 in Grundarfjordur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $621 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇸 Grundarfjordur

🕒 Local time

20:57 8:57 PM

18:57 6:57 PM

2 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

800

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.35 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, 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).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.35 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Grundarfjordur 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Budapest
Grundarfjordur

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 Grundarfjordur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Grundarfjordur is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,584 in Grundarfjordur. 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 $123 in Grundarfjordur. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 141% more in Grundarfjordur, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Grundarfjordur at $1,722. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Grundarfjordur 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, Grundarfjordur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.