Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Islamabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Islamabad: $613 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
Learn more

Islamabad Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Islamabad

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $613 in Islamabad, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Islamabad $613

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $951 in Islamabad, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Islamabad $951

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,289 in Islamabad, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Islamabad $1,289

Budapest costs about 165% more than Islamabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Islamabad is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$3.55 PKR 983

294.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$23.32 PKR 6,453

158.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$5.50 PKR 1,522

81.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 PKR 971

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 PKR 1,950

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.72 PKR 753

24.26%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.35 PKR 97.4

508.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.23 PKR 63.8

713.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$0.99 PKR 273

14.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$0.73 PKR 201

152.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.24 PKR 342

92.74%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$1.31 PKR 363

192.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$6.12 PKR 1,695

85.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$3.23 PKR 893

108.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$5.44 PKR 1,506

170.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$1.35 PKR 375

36.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$0.86 PKR 239

133.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.08 PKR 298

118.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$0.55 PKR 153

585.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.28 PKR 78.3

242.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$0.36 PKR 98.6

186.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.30 PKR 83.5

420.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.42 PKR 115

57.14%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.98 PKR 549

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 PKR 347

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 PKR 715

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$2.32 PKR 642

243.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.20 PKR 54.5

650.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$21.45 PKR 5,936

28.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$1.23 PKR 339

168.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.75 PKR 209

73.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$1.64 PKR 454

1106.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.39 PKR 385

30.22%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$53.8K PKR 14.9M

-45.51%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$24.0K PKR 6.6M

42.17%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$103 PKR 28.5K

65.21%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$5.76 PKR 1,594

316.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$16.49 PKR 4,565

42.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$29.77 PKR 8,240

122.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$8.62 PKR 2,386

122.51%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$4.45 PKR 1,233

113.93%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$74.5 PKR 20.6K

620.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$5,023 PKR 1.4M

230.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$24.55 PKR 6,793

312.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$34.19 PKR 9,461

25.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$96.0 PKR 26.6K

17.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$40.93 PKR 11.3K

190.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$272 PKR 75.2K

196.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$137 PKR 38.0K

357.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$572 PKR 158.4K

170.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$275 PKR 76.0K

325.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,677 PKR 464.1K

235.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$820 PKR 227.0K

383.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$379 PKR 104.8K

329.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

13.08

-50.84%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Islamabad

$137 22.9% 78.2% $492

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Islamabad

$105 17.5% 59.3% $153

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Islamabad

$80 13.3% 64.4% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Islamabad

$125 20.8% 42.4% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Islamabad

$88 14.6% 47.9% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Islamabad

$39 6.4% 54.6% $47

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Islamabad

$27 4.5% 37.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $272 in Islamabad. 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 329% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $23.00 in Islamabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $105 – making Islamabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

12:03 12:03 PM

3 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,009,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Islamabad 4,710 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Islamabad

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 Islamabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 165%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $919 in Islamabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 29% less in Islamabad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $74.5 in Islamabad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Islamabad, where all-in costs run around $613, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Islamabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Islamabad – 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 Islamabad. 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.