Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Livingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,067 in Livingston, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Livingston
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Livingston Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Livingston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Livingston

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $2,067 in Livingston, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Livingston $2,067

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $3,253 in Livingston, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Livingston $3,253

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $4,439 in Livingston, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Livingston $4,439

Budapest is about 22% cheaper than Livingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Livingston sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Livingston by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$19.56 £14.68

-28.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$98.9 £74.2

-38.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$10.41 £7.81

-2.11%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$5.07 £3.80

-35.70%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.62 £1.96

-18.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$2.29 £1.72

-22.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$6.67 £5.00

-44.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$6.49 £4.87

-41.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.43 £1.07

-19.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.83 £1.37

-2.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.24 £1.68

11.16%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.52 £2.64

10.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.42 £7.06

17.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$9.23 £6.93

-28.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$13.92 £10.44

5.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.83 £2.13

-35.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.88 £1.41

9.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.84 £2.13

-16.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.44 £2.58

13.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.70 £1.27

-41.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.37 £1.03

-27.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.18 £0.89

33.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.72 £1.29

-61.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$20.33 £15.25

-60.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$10.51 £7.89

-40.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$3.05 £2.29

-58.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.15 £2.37

-35.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$3.04 £2.28

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$85.3 £64.0

-67.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$5.32 £3.99

-37.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.56 £1.17

-12.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$27.39 £20.55

-27.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.12 £1.59

-14.15%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$39.0K £29.2K

-23.53%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$39.9K £29.9K

-15.16%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$322 £242

-46.92%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$16.55 £12.42

42.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$41.85 £31.40

-44.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$40.79 £30.60

65.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$10.63 £7.98

-12.51%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$1,213 £910

-56.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$17.4K £13.0K

-3.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$90.3 £67.7

10.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$47.61 £35.72

-8.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$107 £80.0

3.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$94.4 £70.8

26.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$871 £654

-4.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$745 £559

-16.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,858 £1,394

-14.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,534 £1,151

-23.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,485 £3,365

30.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$3,665 £2,750

6.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$3,903 £2,928

-57.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.15

25.24%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Livingston: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Livingston

$745 36.1% 19.8% $123

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Livingston

$302 14.6% 16.9% $44

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Livingston

$315 15.2% 41% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Livingston

$381 18.4% 74.7% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Livingston

$153 7.4% 9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Livingston

$62 3% 27.9% $24

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Livingston

$111 5.4% 150% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $871 in Livingston. 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 136% higher in Livingston, 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 $99.0 in Livingston. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $302 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇧 Livingston

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

17:46 5:46 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

56,840

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Livingston 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Livingston

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 Livingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Livingston is pricier by about 28%, 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 $3,101 in Livingston. 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 205% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $1,213 in Livingston. 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 Livingston at $2,067. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Livingston 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, Livingston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.