Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ludhiana

For one person, living is cheaper in Ludhiana: $476 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Ludhiana
Learn more

Ludhiana Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Ludhiana

🇮🇳 India

$476

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ludhiana

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $476 in Ludhiana, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Ludhiana $476

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $765 in Ludhiana, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Ludhiana $765

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $1,055 in Ludhiana, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Ludhiana $1,055

Budapest costs about 246% more than Ludhiana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Ludhiana is 65% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$3.48 ₹328

291.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$10.40 ₹982

483.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$3.61 ₹341

177.56%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$1.93 ₹182

72.54%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$0.37 ₹34.51

472.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.27 ₹25.74

566.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$1.62 ₹153

122.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$3.79 ₹358

-5.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$0.75 ₹71.2

49.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.51 ₹47.97

278.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$0.79 ₹74.9

215.19%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$0.87 ₹82.5

352.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$3.91 ₹369

188.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$3.02 ₹285

122.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$2.13 ₹201

-12.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$0.60 ₹56.9

240.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$0.82 ₹77.1

179.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$0.36 ₹33.85

1008.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$0.29 ₹27.57

224.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$0.32 ₹30.48

218.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$0.40 ₹37.75

312.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.35 ₹33.35

94.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,533

$3.53 ₹334

121.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$12.78 ₹1,208

-52.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.77 ₹167

-27.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$3.04 ₹287

-33.55%

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

$8.12 ₹767

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 485

$0.56 ₹52.5

167.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,792

$15.97 ₹1,509

69.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,088

$1.56 ₹147

115.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$0.40 ₹38.22

242.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$2.13 ₹201

837.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.11 ₹105

67.57%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$13.3K ₹1.3M

115.17%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$22.5K ₹2.1M

48.07%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$54.2 ₹5,115

229.03%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$3.20 ₹303

636.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$5.78 ₹546

317.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.6K

$15.27 ₹1,443

356.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,520

$4.61 ₹436

269.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,397

$3.62 ₹342

189.50%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$71.3 ₹6,740

776.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$1,852 ₹175.0K

960.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$22.01 ₹2,079

363.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$40.12 ₹3,790

8.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$70.2 ₹6,631

56.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$36.30 ₹3,429

232.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 274.0K

$168 ₹15.9K

401.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.9K

$99.1 ₹9,364

543.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 521.5K

$426 ₹40.3K

277.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 394.5K

$280 ₹26.4K

335.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$894 ₹84.4K

521.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$688 ₹65.0K

466.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 559.0K

$318 ₹30.0K

443.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

9.17

-30.86%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ludhiana: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Ludhiana

$99 20.8% 84.5% $539

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Ludhiana

$113 23.8% 56.4% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Ludhiana

$63 13.3% 72% $163

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Ludhiana

$80 16.8% 63.6% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Ludhiana

$76 16% 55.1% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Ludhiana

$23 4.7% 75.2% $68

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Ludhiana

$22 4.6% 49.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $168 in Ludhiana. 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 5.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $10 in Ludhiana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $113 – making Ludhiana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇳 Ludhiana

🕒 Local time

13:53 1:53 PM

18:23 6:23 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

2,232,000

💱 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 = 9.43 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Ludhiana 5,100 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Ludhiana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 246%, 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 $714 in Ludhiana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ludhiana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $168 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Ludhiana. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Budapest and $71 in Ludhiana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ludhiana, where all-in costs run around $476, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Ludhiana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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