Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Hella

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

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Hella
Learn more

Hella Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Hella

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

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

Budapest $1,619
Hella $1,722

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,928 in Hella, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Hella $2,928

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $4,135 in Hella, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Hella $4,135

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$31.26 ISK 3,791

-55.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$123 ISK 14.9K

-50.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$27.14 ISK 3,291

-62.45%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$6.93 ISK 841

-52.96%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$3.36 ISK 407

-36.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$3.07 ISK 373

-42.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$13.71 ISK 1,663

-72.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$12.32 ISK 1,495

-69.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.04 ISK 247

-43.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$4.26 ISK 516

-57.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$3.58 ISK 434

-30.45%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$6.99 ISK 848

-44.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$22.00 ISK 2,668

-49.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$24.51 ISK 2,973

-72.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$41.04 ISK 4,978

-64.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.35 ISK 406

-45.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.86 ISK 347

-28.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$3.13 ISK 379

-24.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$6.62 ISK 803

-41.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.81 ISK 463

-74.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.71 ISK 208

-41.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$3.78 ISK 458

-58.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.77 ISK 215

-62.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$13.79 ISK 1,672

-42.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$23.61 ISK 2,863

-73.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$3.71 ISK 449

-65.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.50 ISK 425

-42.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$6.61 ISK 802

-49.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.76 ISK 335

-50.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$81.2 ISK 9,844

-75.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.09 ISK 253

-12.92%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$51.2K ISK 6.2M

-41.84%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$54.1K ISK 6.6M

-37.53%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$95.2 ISK 11.5K

79.80%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$33.16 ISK 4,022

-29.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$87.7 ISK 10.6K

-73.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$19.67 ISK 2,386

-52.72%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$1,198 ISK 145.2K

-55.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$25.7K ISK 3.1M

-34.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$147 ISK 17.8K

-32.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$67.0 ISK 8,130

-35.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$183 ISK 22.2K

-39.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$253 ISK 30.7K

-53.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

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 533.4K

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 Hella: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Hella

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Hella

$620 36% 141% $362

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Hella

$534 31% 139% $311

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Hella

$216 12.6% 0.9% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Hella

$292 17% 74.4% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Hella

$39 * 2.3% 54.3% $47

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Hella

$20 * 1.2% 53.8% $24

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 Hella. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $620 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇸 Hella

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

03:57 3:57 AM

2 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

900

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Hella 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Hella

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 Hella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hella 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 $2,583 in Hella. 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 Hella. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 141% more in Hella, 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 Hella at $1,722. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hella 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, Hella makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.