Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Lucknow

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucknow: $399 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Lucknow
Learn more

Lucknow Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Lucknow

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Lucknow

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $399 in Lucknow, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Lucknow $399

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $622 in Lucknow, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Lucknow $622

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $845 in Lucknow, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Lucknow $845

Budapest costs about 312% more than Lucknow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Lucknow is 70% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$1.88 ₹177

625.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

$10.59 ₹1,001

472.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,239

$3.21 ₹304

212.15%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,075

$1.64 ₹154

103.05%

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

$2.12 Ft 684

$0.44 ₹41.86

381.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 581

$0.13 ₹12.65

1284.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,166

$1.62 ₹153

122.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,160

$2.35 ₹222

52.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 361

$0.75 ₹71.1

49.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 623

$0.45 ₹42.94

328.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.59 ₹55.8

322.03%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,275

$0.97 ₹91.7

306.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,646

$3.34 ₹315

237.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,177

$2.48 ₹234

171.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,670

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 601

$1.87 ₹177

-0.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$0.65 ₹61.1

213.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 740

$0.93 ₹88.2

146.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,290

$0.45 ₹42.72

786.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 304

$0.27 ₹25.40

248.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 330

$0.44 ₹41.21

131.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 534

$0.42 ₹39.50

292.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.32 ₹30.41

112.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,526

$5.14 ₹486

51.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,946

$8.31 ₹785

-27.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 418

$1.61 ₹153

-19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 655

$2.63 ₹249

-23.19%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.72 ₹540

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 484

$0.41 ₹38.65

265.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

$9.09 ₹859

198.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,085

$0.99 ₹93.8

239.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.22 ₹20.80

522.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,451

$1.19 ₹113

1577.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.13 ₹107

64.60%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$11.1K ₹1.0M

156.60%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$21.9K ₹2.1M

52.19%

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

$178 Ft 57.6K

$54.5 ₹5,152

226.74%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,623

$3.64 ₹344

547.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,797

$8.80 ₹831

174.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

$15.94 ₹1,506

337.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,505

$6.81 ₹644

150.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,388

$3.26 ₹308

221.47%

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

$625 Ft 202.1K

$39.77 ₹3,757

1471.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$2,070 ₹195.6K

848.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.0K

$22.97 ₹2,170

344.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

$25.06 ₹2,367

73.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.5K

$39.12 ₹3,696

180.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.0K

$26.11 ₹2,467

362.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 273.3K

$136 ₹12.9K

519.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.4K

$89.6 ₹8,466

612.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

$356 ₹33.6K

352.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

$208 ₹19.6K

485.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$1,099 ₹103.8K

405.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$616 ₹58.2K

532.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 557.5K

$299 ₹28.2K

477.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

8.53

-25.67%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lucknow: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Lucknow

$90 22.4% 86% $549

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Lucknow

$97 24.3% 62.6% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Lucknow

$67 16.8% 70.4% $159

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Lucknow

$59 14.9% 73% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Lucknow

$51 12.8% 69.9% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Lucknow

$22 5.6% 75.2% $68

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Lucknow

$13 3.2% 70.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $136 in Lucknow. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Budapest are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $11 in Lucknow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $97 – making Lucknow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇳 Lucknow

🕒 Local time

19:30 7:30 PM

00:00 12:00 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

4,588,455

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Lucknow 5,770 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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 Lucknow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 312%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $599 in Lucknow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lucknow, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $136 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Lucknow. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Budapest and $40 in Lucknow. 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 Lucknow, where all-in costs run around $399, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Lucknow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lucknow – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Lucknow. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.