Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Lerwick

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,368 in Lerwick, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Lerwick
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Lerwick Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Lerwick

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Lerwick

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $2,368 in Lerwick, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Lerwick $2,368

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $3,415 in Lerwick, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Lerwick $3,415

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $4,462 in Lerwick, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Lerwick $4,462

Budapest is about 31% cheaper than Lerwick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Lerwick sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Lerwick by 75%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$20.15 £15.11

-30.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$98.5 £73.9

-38.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$10.35 £7.76

0.19%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$5.40 £4.05

-35.93%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$2.25 £1.69

-8.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$1.64 £1.23

7.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$6.45 £4.84

-42.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$5.86 £4.40

-35.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.55 £1.16

-25.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.69 £1.27

9.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$2.21 £1.66

8.60%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$4.02 £3.02

-0.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$9.37 £7.03

21.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$8.57 £6.43

-19.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$14.44 £10.84

0.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$3.03 £2.27

-37.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.51 £1.13

41.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$2.76 £2.07

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$3.28 £2.46

23.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$1.83 £1.37

-44.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.71 £1.28

-42.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.26 £0.95

25.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$1.55 £1.16

-54.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$24.02 £18.02

-66.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$10.48 £7.86

-41.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$3.00 £2.25

-58.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$3.27 £2.46

-37.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$3.07 £2.30

-48.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$83.1 £62.3

-66.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$4.23 £3.18

-18.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$2.35 £1.76

-43.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$24.03 £18.03

-14.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$2.34 £1.75

-17.52%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$38.9K £29.2K

-25.05%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$34.5K £25.9K

0.75%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$309 £232

-43.58%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$19.33 £14.50

22.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$45.26 £33.95

-47.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$52.8 £39.61

30.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$13.32 £9.99

-22.60%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$1,392 £1,045

-61.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$24.5K £18.4K

-31.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$88.7 £66.5

12.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$50.6 £37.93

-14.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$89.1 £66.8

25.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$110 £82.8

7.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$1,112 £834

-25.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$1,036 £777

-39.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$2,395 £1,797

-33.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$1,523 £1,143

-21.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$4,646 £3,486

23.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$3,438 £2,579

14.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.09

26.72%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lerwick: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Lerwick

$1K 43.7% 64.6% $407

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Lerwick

$298 12.6% 14% $37

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Lerwick

$317 13.4% 39.9% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Lerwick

$374 15.8% 68.6% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Lerwick

$152 6.4% 9.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Lerwick

$79 3.4% 11.2% $10

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Lerwick

$111 4.7% 153% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $1,112 in Lerwick. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $99.0 in Lerwick. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $298 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇧 Lerwick

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

22:06 10:06 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

7,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Lerwick 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Lerwick

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 Lerwick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lerwick is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $3,552 in Lerwick. 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 202% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $1,392 in Lerwick. 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 Lerwick at $2,368. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lerwick 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, Lerwick makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.