Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kisumu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kisumu: $643 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Kisumu
Learn more

Kisumu Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Kisumu

🇰🇪 Kenya

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kisumu

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $643 in Kisumu, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Kisumu $643

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $972 in Kisumu, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Kisumu $972

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,302 in Kisumu, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Kisumu $1,302

Budapest costs about 152% more than Kisumu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Kisumu is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$4.67 KES 606

198.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$24.63 KES 3,193

148.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.54 KES 848

55.81%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.63 KES 342

23.95%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.67 KES 86.8

219.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.56 KES 72.9

217.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.96 KES 254

89.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.72 KES 353

38.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.56 KES 72.1

105.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.52 KES 67.0

244.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.89 KES 245

31.75%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.64 KES 212

137.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.71 KES 1,388

3.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.28 KES 814

5.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$5.06 KES 656

190.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.37 KES 437

-45.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$0.89 KES 115

130.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.98 KES 257

19.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.11 KES 144

251.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.07 KES 139

-7.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.90 KES 117

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.69 KES 89.4

128.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.74 KES 95.6

-9.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.05 KES 395

160.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.90 KES 1,024

-21.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.30 KES 298

-44.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.36 KES 306

-13.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.74 KES 96.3

105.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$23.05 KES 2,989

21.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.57 KES 204

110.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.50 KES 195

-8.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$2.82 KES 365

603.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.62 KES 210

12.35%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.5K KES 2.8M

38.64%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$20.6K KES 2.7M

64.36%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$54.9 KES 7,119

211.64%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$15.40 KES 1,997

52.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$35.59 KES 4,614

-34.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$22.87 KES 2,965

195.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.70 KES 998

20.78%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$115 KES 14.9K

365.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$12.2K KES 1.6M

36.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$11.41 KES 1,479

773.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$19.63 KES 2,545

121.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$15.49 KES 2,008

612.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$15.27 KES 1,979

679.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$151 KES 19.6K

448.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$139 KES 18.0K

347.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$560 KES 72.6K

184.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$212 KES 27.4K

452.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$765 KES 99.2K

662.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$779 KES 101.0K

111.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

14.71

-56.15%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kisumu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Kisumu

$139 21.6% 77.7% $483

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Kisumu

$188 29.2% 27.2% $70

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Kisumu

$109 16.9% 51.2% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Kisumu

$106 16.5% 51.4% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Kisumu

$28 4.3% 83.4% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Kisumu

$38 6% 55.6% $48

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kisumu

$35 5.5% 20.7% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $151 in Kisumu. 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 112% higher in Budapest, 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 $25.00 in Kisumu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $188 – making Kisumu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇪 Kisumu

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

17:16 5:16 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,155,574

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Kisumu 5,510 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Kisumu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 152%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $964 in Kisumu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 22% less in Kisumu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $115 in Kisumu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kisumu, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kisumu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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