Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,638 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Lisbon

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Lisbon $4,341

Budapest is about 26% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Lisbon sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,552

$16.65 €14.95

-17.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

$61.7 €55.5

-0.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,349

$11.36 €10.20

-10.56%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,062

$2.97 €2.67

8.42%

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

$2.06 Ft 680

$2.29 €2.06

-10.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 605

$1.74 €1.56

5.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,188

$3.40 €3.06

5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,208

$3.31 €2.97

10.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.16 €1.04

2.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 617

$1.91 €1.72

-2.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 780

$1.51 €1.36

56.95%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,305

$4.02 €3.61

-1.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,680

$12.94 €11.62

-13.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,228

$7.77 €6.98

-13.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,731

$17.76 €15.95

-19.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 596

$2.30 €2.07

-21.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$1.73 €1.56

21.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 770

$1.86 €1.67

25.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,254

$2.59 €2.33

46.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$1.82 €1.64

-45.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$1.97 €1.77

-50.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 512

$1.47 €1.32

5.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 230

$0.72 €0.65

-2.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,569

$6.58 €5.91

18.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,995

$5.61 €5.04

7.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$1.36 €1.22

-5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 672

$2.14 €1.92

-4.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$2.33 €2.10

-33.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

$44.68 €40.14

-38.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$3.85 €3.46

-14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$1.07 €0.96

22.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,679

$16.46 €14.79

23.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 600

$2.20 €1.98

-17.27%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$34.2K €30.7K

-15.99%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$38.7K €34.8K

-14.58%

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

$172 Ft 56.8K

$161 €145

6.80%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,897

$18.41 €16.54

30.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,685

$32.74 €29.41

-28.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$44.55 €40.02

53.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

$19.10 €17.16

-0.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,356

$9.60 €8.62

6.04%

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

$600 Ft 197.9K

$668 €600

-10.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$17.6K €15.8K

-4.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$102 €91.6

-2.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

$44.46 €39.94

-2.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$98.5 €88.5

14.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$124 €111

-5.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

$1,608 €1,445

-48.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

$1,190 €1,069

-46.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

$2,812 €2,526

-43.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

$2,013 €1,808

-40.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$7,839 €7,042

-28.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$4,576 €4,110

-16.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

$1,575 €1,415

6.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.85

67.53%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 86% $550

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 5.4% $14

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 10% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 3.2% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 1% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 28.3% $25

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 45.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $1,608 in Lisbon. 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 6% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $272 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

17:39 5:39 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $3,315 in Lisbon. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $836 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,638 in Budapest and $2,210 in Lisbon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.