Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kingston upon Thames

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 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
161

Cost of Living Index in Kingston upon Thames
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Kingston upon Thames Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,276

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kingston upon Thames

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 Kingston upon Thames actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Kingston upon Thames $3,276

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $4,746 in Kingston upon Thames, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Kingston upon Thames $4,746

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $6,216 in Kingston upon Thames, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Kingston upon Thames $6,216

Budapest is about 51% cheaper than Kingston upon Thames, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Kingston upon Thames sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Kingston upon Thames by 143%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$22.10 £16.58

-36.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$86.6 £65.0

-29.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$10.42 £7.82

-2.21%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$5.46 £4.09

-40.29%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$3.00 £2.25

-28.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.80 £1.35

-1.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$9.20 £6.91

-59.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$7.91 £5.93

-52.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.68 £1.26

-31.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.73 £1.30

3.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.45 £1.84

1.63%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$4.91 £3.68

-20.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$8.46 £6.35

31.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$8.72 £6.54

-24.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$12.99 £9.74

13.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.13 £2.35

-41.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.35 £1.01

51.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.61 £1.96

-9.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.90 £2.18

34.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.67 £1.25

-40.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.71 £1.28

-41.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.24 £0.93

27.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.80 £1.35

-62.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$23.28 £17.46

-65.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$9.31 £6.99

-33.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$3.09 £2.32

-58.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$4.45 £3.34

-54.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.37 £1.78

-35.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$42.49 £31.88

-34.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.91 £3.69

-32.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.43 £1.07

-4.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$23.70 £17.78

-16.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.98 £1.49

-8.08%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$37.7K £28.3K

-20.94%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$39.8K £29.9K

-15.08%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$371 £278

-53.82%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$15.63 £11.73

50.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$40.78 £30.60

-42.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$102 £76.8

-34.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$10.49 £7.87

80.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$19.46 £14.60

-52.21%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$2,594 £1,946

-79.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$22.2K £16.6K

-24.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$114 £85.7

-12.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$53.6 £40.19

-18.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$78.1 £58.6

41.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$106 £79.7

11.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$2,035 £1,527

-59.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$1,832 £1,374

-66.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$3,567 £2,676

-55.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$3,164 £2,374

-63.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$5,303 £3,978

-68.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.74

36.08%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kingston upon Thames: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Kingston upon Thames

$1.8K 55.9% 195% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Kingston upon Thames

$298 9.1% 15.6% $40

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Kingston upon Thames

$355 10.8% 59% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Kingston upon Thames

$427 13% 95.9% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Kingston upon Thames

$158 4.8% 5.4% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Kingston upon Thames

$141 4.3% 64.1% $55

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kingston upon Thames

$64 2% 44.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames. 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 221% higher in Kingston upon Thames, 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $87.0 in Kingston upon Thames. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $298 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇧 Kingston upon Thames

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

13:28 1:28 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

43,013

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Kingston upon Thames 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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Kingston upon Thames

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 Kingston upon Thames: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kingston upon Thames is pricier by about 102%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $4,913 in Kingston upon Thames. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 52% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $2,594 in Kingston upon Thames. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Kingston upon Thames at $3,276. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston upon Thames it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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