Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Johannesburg: $1,406 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Johannesburg

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Johannesburg $1,406

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $2,195 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Johannesburg $2,195

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $2,983 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Johannesburg $2,983

Budapest costs about 17% more than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Johannesburg sit above the global median – Budapest by 22%, Johannesburg by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,443

$11.88 R 196

14.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.8K

$44.83 R 741

35.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,266

$7.40 R 122

35.41%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,084

$2.45 R 40.45

35.92%

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

$2.12 Ft 690

$1.23 R 20.28

72.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 586

$0.92 R 15.26

95.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,176

$2.45 R 40.53

47.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,170

$2.74 R 45.28

31.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 364

$1.31 R 21.69

-14.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 628

$1.26 R 20.80

53.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 811

$1.72 R 28.45

44.77%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,286

$2.63 R 43.51

49.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,677

$8.87 R 147

27.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,195

$5.68 R 93.8

18.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,708

$9.04 R 149

59.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 606

$2.07 R 34.29

-10.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 664

$1.91 R 31.51

6.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 746

$1.83 R 30.17

25.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,301

$2.05 R 33.88

94.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 307

$1.70 R 28.14

-44.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 333

$1.81 R 29.84

-43.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 539

$1.51 R 24.91

9.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 222

$1.26 R 20.76

-46.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,547

$3.50 R 57.9

123.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,963

$6.07 R 100

-0.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 421

$1.80 R 29.79

-28.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 660

$2.31 R 38.13

-12.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 488

$1.62 R 26.82

-7.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,842

$90.7 R 1,499

-70.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,094

$0.82 R 13.60

309.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 448

$0.92 R 15.15

48.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,505

$14.30 R 236

39.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 608

$1.52 R 25.07

22.37%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.3M

$35.4K R 585.2K

-19.45%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.9M

$34.7K R 574.2K

-3.91%

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

$178 Ft 58.1K

$228 R 3,766

-21.79%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,686

$38.51 R 637

-38.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,861

$38.02 R 628

-36.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.7K

$35.33 R 584

97.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,551

$16.47 R 272

3.40%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,416

$8.47 R 140

23.73%

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

$625 Ft 203.8K

$247 R 4,082

153.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$7,727 R 127.7K

154.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.3K

$58.1 R 961

75.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.2K

$44.29 R 732

-1.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$113 R 1,862

-2.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.3K

$111 R 1,835

8.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 275.5K

$526 R 8,689

60.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 208.1K

$407 R 6,732

56.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 524.4K

$1,091 R 18.0K

47.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 396.7K

$900 R 14.9K

35.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$1,029 R 17.0K

439.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$748 R 12.4K

421.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 562.1K

$1,750 R 28.9K

-1.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

10.91

-41.89%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Johannesburg

$407 29% 36.2% $231

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Johannesburg

$220 15.7% 15.3% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Johannesburg

$304 21.6% 34.7% $78

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Johannesburg

$173 12.3% 21.3% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 13.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 42.3% $38

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Johannesburg

$103 7.3% 137% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $526 in Johannesburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $45 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $220 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

16:55 4:55 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

4,434,827

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Johannesburg 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $2,110 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Johannesburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $526 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 70% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Budapest and $247 in Johannesburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,647 in Budapest and $1,406 in Johannesburg. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Johannesburg – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.