Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kathmandu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kathmandu: $496 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
Learn more

Kathmandu Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kathmandu

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $496 in Kathmandu, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Kathmandu $496

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $795 in Kathmandu, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Kathmandu $795

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $1,094 in Kathmandu, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Kathmandu $1,094

Budapest costs about 232% more than Kathmandu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Kathmandu is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$2.03 NPR 306

571.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$21.67 NPR 3,277

179.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$7.92 NPR 1,198

26.52%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$1.56 NPR 235

113.46%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$0.56 NPR 84.2

278.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.13 NPR 20.09

1284.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$3.11 NPR 470

16.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$3.39 NPR 512

5.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$0.76 NPR 114

47.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.63 NPR 95.2

206.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$0.94 NPR 143

164.89%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$1.70 NPR 257

131.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$7.70 NPR 1,164

46.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$3.17 NPR 480

112.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$5.72 NPR 865

152.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$2.02 NPR 306

-7.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$1.16 NPR 176

75.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$1.34 NPR 202

70.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$0.55 NPR 82.9

625.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$0.39 NPR 58.5

141.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$0.55 NPR 82.7

85.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$0.48 NPR 73.0

243.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.24 NPR 36.38

183.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,533

$2.63 NPR 398

196.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$9.00 NPR 1,361

-33.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$2.20 NPR 333

-41.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$3.08 NPR 465

-34.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 485

$0.22 NPR 33.17

581.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,792

$9.88 NPR 1,494

174.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,088

$1.68 NPR 255

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$1.22 NPR 184

12.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$3.25 NPR 491

514.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.42 NPR 215

30.99%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$35.7K NPR 5.4M

-20.23%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$36.2K NPR 5.5M

-7.71%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$31.50 NPR 4,763

465.62%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$3.53 NPR 534

567.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$8.96 NPR 1,354

169.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.6K

$24.91 NPR 3,766

179.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,520

$7.01 NPR 1,059

142.94%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,397

$2.89 NPR 437

262.63%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$67.5 NPR 10.2K

826.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$14.9K NPR 2.3M

31.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$21.64 NPR 3,272

371.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$26.51 NPR 4,009

63.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$63.1 NPR 9,536

74.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$28.01 NPR 4,235

330.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 274.0K

$233 NPR 35.3K

262.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.9K

$109 NPR 16.4K

488.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 521.5K

$444 NPR 67.1K

262.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 394.5K

$207 NPR 31.3K

487.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$2,324 NPR 351.4K

139.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$1,315 NPR 198.8K

196.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 559.0K

$285 NPR 43.1K

505.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

9.98

-36.47%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kathmandu: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Kathmandu

$109 21.9% 83% $530

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Kathmandu

$148 29.8% 43.1% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Kathmandu

$44 8.9% 80.5% $182

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Kathmandu

$84 16.9% 61.9% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Kathmandu

$63 12.6% 63% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Kathmandu

$31 6.2% 66.1% $60

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Kathmandu

$19 3.7% 57.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $233 in Kathmandu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Budapest are about 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $22 in Kathmandu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $148 – making Kathmandu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🕒 Local time

02:08 2:08 AM

06:53 6:53 AM

4 h 45 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

975,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.61 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, 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).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 151 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.61 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.89 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Kathmandu 6,040 km ≈ 8 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 Kathmandu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 232%, 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 $744 in Kathmandu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kathmandu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $233 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Kathmandu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Budapest and $67 in Kathmandu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kathmandu, where all-in costs run around $496, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Kathmandu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Kathmandu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.