Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Iskele

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $1,857 in Iskele, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Iskele
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Iskele Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Iskele

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Iskele

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,857 in Iskele, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Iskele $1,857

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,813 in Iskele, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Iskele $2,813

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,769 in Iskele, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Iskele $3,769

Budapest is about 13% cheaper than Iskele, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Budapest and Iskele sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Iskele by 38%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,521

$16.98 €15.14

-17.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$55.9 €49.86

9.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,304

$8.71 €7.77

16.99%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,059

$3.62 €3.23

-9.94%

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

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.91 €1.70

12.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$1.13 €1.01

57.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,203

$4.27 €3.81

-13.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,222

$3.97 €3.54

-5.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$2.00 €1.78

-42.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$1.46 €1.31

22.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 807

$2.32 €2.07

7.33%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$5.12 €4.57

-23.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,602

$13.65 €12.17

-18.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,147

$8.69 €7.75

-23.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,764

$12.45 €11.11

17.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$3.14 €2.80

-41.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.84 €1.65

11.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$2.11 €1.88

12.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,265

$3.74 €3.34

4.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$1.47 €1.31

-32.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$1.17 €1.05

-14.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$0.64 €0.57

146.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$1.04 €0.93

-35.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,582

$5.51 €4.92

44.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,017

$6.77 €6.04

-8.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$1.74 €1.55

-27.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

$1.97 €1.76

3.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$2.21 €1.97

-31.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,089

$51.2 €45.63

-45.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,074

$11.38 €10.15

-70.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$2.16 €1.93

-36.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,432

$22.69 €20.24

-12.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.72 €1.53

5.81%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$32.6K €29.1K

-8.53%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$32.4K €28.9K

4.51%

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

$171 Ft 55.5K

$186 €166

-7.78%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,627

$23.75 €21.19

-1.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,556

$34.04 €30.37

-31.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$68.5 €61.1

-1.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,129

$24.38 €21.74

-22.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,016

$11.10 €9.91

-16.22%

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

$533 Ft 173.0K

$434 €387

22.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,777 €6,045

147.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$82.0 €73.2

21.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$44.97 €40.11

-3.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$92.7 €82.7

19.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$88.0 €78.5

35.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.4K

$1,096 €978

-24.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.7K

$768 €685

-19.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 516.9K

$1,790 €1,597

-10.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.6K

$1,356 €1,210

-13.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,983 €2,661

95.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,241 €1,999

73.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.6K

$903 €805

82.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.31

94.86%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Iskele: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Iskele

$768 41.4% 23.5% $146

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Iskele

$288 15.5% 11.6% $30

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Iskele

$247 13.3% 10.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Iskele

$243 13.1% 11.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Iskele

$138 7.5% 17.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Iskele

$91 4.9% 5.3% $4.5

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Iskele

$82 4.4% 85.8% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $1,096 in Iskele. 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 83% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $56.0 in Iskele. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $288 in Iskele – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇾 Iskele

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

16:38 4:38 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

4,490

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Iskele 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 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 Iskele: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Iskele is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,786 in Iskele. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 83% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $434 in Iskele. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Iskele at $1,857. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Iskele 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, Iskele makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.