Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kimberley

For one person, living is cheaper in Kimberley: $1,124 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Kimberley
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Kimberley Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Kimberley

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,124

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kimberley

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $1,124 in Kimberley, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Kimberley $1,124

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $1,898 in Kimberley, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Kimberley $1,898

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $2,671 in Kimberley, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Kimberley $2,671

Budapest costs about 46% more than Kimberley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Kimberley is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$11.80 R 193

15.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

$36.79 R 603

64.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,239

$5.94 R 97.3

68.69%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,075

$2.96 R 48.47

12.50%

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

$2.12 Ft 684

$1.33 R 21.74

59.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 581

$1.27 R 20.85

41.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,166

$2.69 R 44.14

34.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,160

$2.65 R 43.37

35.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 361

$1.52 R 24.85

-26.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 623

$1.11 R 18.21

73.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.95 R 48.30

-15.59%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,275

$2.92 R 47.84

34.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,646

$6.58 R 108

71.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,177

$5.82 R 95.3

15.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,670

$8.45 R 139

70.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 601

$2.29 R 37.47

-18.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$2.42 R 39.72

-15.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 740

$1.71 R 28.07

33.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,290

$3.20 R 52.4

24.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 304

$1.37 R 22.46

-31.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 330

$1.41 R 23.07

-27.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 534

$1.39 R 22.70

18.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.94 R 15.36

-27.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,526

$3.24 R 53.2

141.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,946

$6.29 R 103

-4.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 418

$2.24 R 36.67

-42.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 655

$2.78 R 45.47

-27.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 484

$1.75 R 28.64

-14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

$32.79 R 537

-17.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,085

$0.83 R 13.57

304.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.80 R 13.06

71.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,451

$12.47 R 204

60.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.40 R 22.93

32.86%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$38.6K R 632.0K

-26.08%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$37.5K R 613.8K

-10.91%

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

$178 Ft 57.6K

$107 R 1,754

66.45%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,623

$34.99 R 573

-32.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,797

$41.80 R 685

-42.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

$22.98 R 376

203.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,505

$11.02 R 181

54.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,388

$6.76 R 111

55.03%

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

$625 Ft 202.1K

$235 R 3,851

165.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$6,928 R 113.5K

183.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.0K

$54.1 R 887

88.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

$31.13 R 510

39.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.5K

$98.6 R 1,615

11.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.0K

$86.7 R 1,420

39.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 273.3K

$263 R 4,307

221.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.4K

$335 R 5,489

90.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

$624 R 10.2K

157.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

$942 R 15.4K

29.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$871 R 14.3K

537.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$679 R 11.1K

474.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 557.5K

$941 R 15.4K

83.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

10.92

-41.94%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kimberley: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Kimberley

$335 29.8% 47.5% $303

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Kimberley

$226 20.1% 13.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Kimberley

$184 16.4% 18.6% $42

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Kimberley

$177 15.7% 19.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Kimberley

$122 10.8% 28.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Kimberley

$36 3.3% 59.7% $54

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Kimberley

$45 4% 2.9% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $263 in Kimberley. 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. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $37 in Kimberley. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $226 – making Kimberley the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇿🇦 Kimberley

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

01:05 1:05 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

225,160

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Kimberley 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Kimberley

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 Kimberley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $1,687 in Kimberley. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kimberley, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $263 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Budapest and $235 in Kimberley. 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 Kimberley, where all-in costs run around $1,124, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Kimberley it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kimberley – 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 Kimberley. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.