Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kirkwall

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,121 in Kirkwall, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Kirkwall
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Kirkwall Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Kirkwall

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kirkwall

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $2,121 in Kirkwall, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Kirkwall $2,121

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $3,026 in Kirkwall, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Kirkwall $3,026

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $3,931 in Kirkwall, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Kirkwall $3,931

Budapest is about 23% cheaper than Kirkwall, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Budapest and Kirkwall sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Kirkwall by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$23.63 £17.73

-40.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$94.8 £71.1

-35.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$10.57 £7.93

-1.89%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$3.92 £2.94

-11.73%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$3.26 £2.44

-36.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$1.31 £0.98

35.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$6.20 £4.65

-40.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$8.47 £6.36

-55.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$0.79 £0.59

46.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.58 £1.19

17.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$2.05 £1.54

17.07%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$3.22 £2.42

23.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$6.59 £4.95

72.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$8.97 £6.73

-23.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$15.90 £11.92

-8.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$2.20 £1.65

-14.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.97 £1.48

8.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.57 £1.18

46.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$1.32 £0.99

206.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$1.11 £0.83

-8.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.09 £0.82

-9.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.77 £0.58

105.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$1.08 £0.81

-35.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$20.10 £15.08

-60.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$9.18 £6.89

-32.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$2.71 £2.03

-54.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$2.88 £2.16

-28.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$10.51 £7.89

-84.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$107 £80.4

-74.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$5.19 £3.90

-33.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$2.58 £1.93

-48.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$27.06 £20.30

-24.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$2.05 £1.54

-5.85%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$37.8K £28.4K

-23.01%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$41.2K £30.9K

-15.61%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$282 £212

-38.19%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$30.12 £22.60

-21.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$33.04 £24.79

-28.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$41.73 £31.31

64.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$11.46 £8.60

-10.03%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$1,237 £928

-56.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$91.5 £68.7

9.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$43.72 £32.80

-1.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$95.0 £71.3

17.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$138 £103

-13.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$935 £701

-11.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$792 £594

-20.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$1,182 £887

34.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$966 £725

23.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$1,914 £1,436

-10.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.07

27.22%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kirkwall: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Kirkwall

$792 37.3% 25.8% $163

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Kirkwall

$252 11.9% 3.7% $9.7

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Kirkwall

$334 15.8% 47.6% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Kirkwall

$346 16.3% 55.8% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Kirkwall

$165 7.8% 1.6% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Kirkwall

$65 3.1% 27.7% $25

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kirkwall

$167 7.9% 280% $123

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $935 in Kirkwall. 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 12% higher in Kirkwall, 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 $95.0 in Kirkwall. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Budapest vs $252 in Kirkwall – so Kirkwall wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇧 Kirkwall

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

20:24 8:24 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

7,500

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Kirkwall 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Kirkwall

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 Kirkwall: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kirkwall is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $3,182 in Kirkwall. 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 289% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $1,237 in Kirkwall. 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 $1,641, than in Kirkwall at $2,121. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kirkwall 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, Kirkwall makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.