Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Iceland
For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,841 in Iceland, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
-
Budapest Living Index79Cost of Living Index in BudapestLearn more -
Iceland Living Index185Cost of Living Index in IcelandLearn more
🙂 Solo nomad: Budapest is 52.4% cheaper than Iceland without rent, and 57.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Budapest is 52.6% cheaper than Iceland without rent, and 50.6% cheaper with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Iceland
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.99 Ft 4,551
$27.37 ISK 3,337
-48.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
$125 ISK 15.2K
-51.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 Ft 3,241
$24.08 ISK 2,937
-58.64%
Cappuccino
$3.38 Ft 1,100
$6.19 ISK 755
-45.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 Ft 692
$3.15 ISK 384
-32.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 Ft 608
$2.99 ISK 365
-37.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 Ft 1,221
$12.47 ISK 1,521
-69.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 Ft 1,162
$12.50 ISK 1,524
-71.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Iceland
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 Ft 368
$2.11 ISK 258
-46.45%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 Ft 599
$4.09 ISK 499
-55.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 Ft 777
$3.45 ISK 421
-30.72%
Eggs
$3.83 Ft 1,245
$7.23 ISK 882
-47.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 Ft 3,686
$20.83 ISK 2,541
-45.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.74 Ft 2,192
$24.61 ISK 3,001
-72.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,780
$42.36 ISK 5,166
-65.32%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 Ft 597
$3.17 ISK 387
-41.96%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 Ft 653
$2.72 ISK 332
-26.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 Ft 767
$3.20 ISK 390
-26.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 Ft 1,226
$5.94 ISK 724
-36.53%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 Ft 313
$3.96 ISK 483
-75.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 Ft 334
$1.85 ISK 226
-44.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 Ft 509
$3.62 ISK 441
-56.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 Ft 216
$1.93 ISK 236
-65.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,591
$14.12 ISK 1,721
-43.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 Ft 1,954
$23.36 ISK 2,849
-74.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 Ft 421
$3.72 ISK 454
-65.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 Ft 676
$3.25 ISK 396
-36.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Iceland
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 Ft 489
$5.54 ISK 676
-72.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.61 Ft 8,982
$92.7 ISK 11.3K
-70.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.30 Ft 1,074
$6.87 ISK 838
-51.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 Ft 424
$2.90 ISK 354
-55.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.78 Ft 6,436
$81.6 ISK 9,947
-75.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 Ft 591
$2.36 ISK 288
-23.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
$50.2K ISK 6.1M
-41.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
$53.5K ISK 6.5M
-36.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Iceland
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 Ft 55.3K
$96.5 ISK 11.8K
76.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.98 Ft 7,802
$30.37 ISK 3,704
-21.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.42 Ft 7,621
$88.0 ISK 10.7K
-73.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Iceland
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
$89.8 ISK 11.0K
-26.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 Ft 6,239
$50.7 ISK 6,183
-62.17%
Cinema Ticket
$9.52 Ft 3,098
$18.98 ISK 2,314
-49.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Iceland
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$537 Ft 174.6K
$1,053 ISK 128.4K
-49.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
$30.4K ISK 3.7M
-45.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Iceland
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 Ft 33.0K
$154 ISK 18.8K
-34.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
$48.13 ISK 5,869
-10.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 Ft 36.7K
$175 ISK 21.4K
-35.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.6K
$231 ISK 28.2K
-48.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Iceland
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 Ft 262.0K
$2,476 ISK 301.9K
-67.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 204.7K
$1,968 ISK 240.0K
-68.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
$3,333 ISK 406.4K
-53.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
$2,708 ISK 330.2K
-56.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
$7,695 ISK 938.4K
-26.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
$6,295 ISK 767.7K
-36.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Iceland
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
$4,795 ISK 584.8K
-66.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
9.29
-30.79%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026
Last update for Iceland: October 3, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest $629 38.7%
Iceland $2K 51.6% 213% $1.3K
Groceries & Markets
Budapest $258 15.8%
Iceland $617 16.2% 140% $360
Eating Out
Budapest $224 13.8%
Iceland $477 12.5% 113% $253
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest $217 13.4%
Iceland $215 5.6% 1.1% $2.5
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest $169 10.4%
Iceland $274 7.2% 62.1% $105
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest $85 5.2%
Iceland $128 3.4% 49.9% $43
Getting Around
Budapest $43 2.7%
Iceland $136 3.6% 214% $93
Accommodation & Living
Budapest $1.2K 34.1%
Iceland $2.7K 37.8% 132% $1.5K
Groceries & Markets
Budapest $607 17.7%
Iceland $1.4K 20.1% 136% $828
Eating Out
Budapest $753 22%
Iceland $1.6K 22% 109% $820
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest $241 7.1%
Iceland $245 3.4% 1.6% $3.9
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest $376 11%
Iceland $609 8.5% 62.1% $233
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest $190 5.5%
Iceland $306 4.3% 61.4% $117
Getting Around
Budapest $90 2.6%
Iceland $284 4% 216% $194
Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇮🇸 Iceland
Weather
Population
1,686,222 Capital
364,260
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Budapest Iceland 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
- Budapest
- Iceland
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 other spots: cost of living compared
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$855
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Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Krakow
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,811
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Prague
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
$2,097
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Debrecen
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,358
/mo nomad
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