Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kafue

For one person, living is cheaper in Kafue: $564 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Kafue
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Kafue Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Kafue

🇿🇲 Zambia

$564

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kafue

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $564 in Kafue, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Kafue $564

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $902 in Kafue, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Kafue $902

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $1,239 in Kafue, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Kafue $1,239

Budapest costs about 192% more than Kafue, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Kafue is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$5.37 ZMW 109

153.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$29.41 ZMW 594

106.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$5.04 ZMW 102

98.81%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$2.86 ZMW 57.8

16.43%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$0.72 ZMW 14.45

194.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.48 ZMW 9.68

275.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$1.22 ZMW 24.73

195.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$2.27 ZMW 45.80

58.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$1.68 ZMW 33.89

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.16 ZMW 23.52

66.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$2.01 ZMW 40.54

23.88%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$1.94 ZMW 39.22

103.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$10.19 ZMW 206

10.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$6.17 ZMW 125

9.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$6.62 ZMW 134

118.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$3.38 ZMW 68.4

-44.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$2.36 ZMW 47.74

-13.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$3.24 ZMW 65.5

-29.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$1.54 ZMW 31.09

159.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$2.60 ZMW 52.6

-63.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$1.77 ZMW 35.75

-42.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$1.11 ZMW 22.37

48.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.71 ZMW 14.44

-4.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,533

$3.01 ZMW 60.9

159.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$9.92 ZMW 200

-39.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.37 ZMW 27.76

-5.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$2.27 ZMW 45.90

-11.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 485

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,792

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,088

$2.43 ZMW 49.05

38.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$1.44 ZMW 29.02

-4.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$5.01 ZMW 101

298.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.46 ZMW 29.55

27.40%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$7,396 ZMW 149.5K

285.56%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$24.7K ZMW 499.5K

35.06%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$69.0 ZMW 1,394

158.33%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$10.75 ZMW 217

119.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$53.6 ZMW 1,083

-54.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,520

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,397

$5.82 ZMW 118

80.07%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$145 ZMW 2,939

329.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$20.5K ZMW 414.0K

-4.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$24.90 ZMW 503

309.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$17.39 ZMW 351

149.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$44.90 ZMW 907

144.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$65.1 ZMW 1,316

85.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 274.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 521.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 394.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 559.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

-78.14%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kafue: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Kafue

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Kafue

$233 41.3% 10.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Kafue

$133 23.6% 41% $93

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Kafue

$108 19.1% 51% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Kafue

$69 12.2% 59.5% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Kafue

$12 * 2.1% 87.2% $79

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Kafue

$9.6 * 1.7% 77.8% $34

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 in Budapest versus $29 in Kafue. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $233 – making Kafue the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇿🇲 Kafue

🕒 Local time

02:26 2:26 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

104,174

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 ZMW = 4.95 USD

100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 20.21 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.95 USD). 1 EUR = 22.69 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Kafue 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Kafue

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 Kafue: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 192%, 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 $846 in Kafue. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $29 in Kafue. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Budapest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Kafue, where all-in costs run around $564, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Kafue it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Budapest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $564 in Kafue to $1,647 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.