Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Markham

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,416 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Markham
Learn more

Markham Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Markham

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $2,416 in Markham, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Markham $2,416

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $3,465 in Markham, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Markham $3,465

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $4,514 in Markham, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Markham $4,514

Budapest is about 33% cheaper than Markham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Budapest and Markham sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Markham by 79%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,523

$17.37 CA$24.70

-19.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$53.4 CA$76.0

14.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,306

$10.47 CA$14.89

-2.67%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,059

$3.81 CA$5.42

-14.44%

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

$2.14 Ft 694

$1.70 CA$2.42

25.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$1.17 CA$1.67

52.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$3.59 CA$5.10

3.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$5.62 CA$7.99

-32.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.94 CA$2.76

-40.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$2.22 CA$3.16

-19.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 807

$1.90 CA$2.70

31.05%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$2.99 CA$4.25

30.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,604

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$11.70 CA$16.64

-43.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,767

$6.81 CA$9.68

115.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$3.69 CA$5.25

-50.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.26 CA$1.80

62.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$2.33 CA$3.31

1.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$3.26 CA$4.63

19.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$2.05 CA$2.92

-51.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$1.96 CA$2.79

-48.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$2.87 CA$4.08

-44.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$1.48 CA$2.11

-54.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,584

$13.44 CA$19.11

-40.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,018

$14.53 CA$20.66

-57.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$2.40 CA$3.41

-47.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

$3.19 CA$4.54

-36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$3.04 CA$4.32

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,095

$89.3 CA$127

-68.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$3.31 CA$4.71

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,436

$18.60 CA$26.44

6.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.13 CA$1.61

61.06%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$28.1K CA$40.0K

5.99%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$18.1K CA$25.8K

86.55%

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

$171 Ft 55.5K

$125 CA$178

36.46%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,631

$26.20 CA$37.26

-10.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,560

$45.69 CA$65.0

-49.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$42.62 CA$60.6

58.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,133

$21.28 CA$30.26

-11.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,018

$10.19 CA$14.49

-8.73%

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

$533 Ft 173.1K

$870 CA$1,237

-38.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$27.5K CA$39.0K

-38.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$43.21 CA$61.4

130.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$37.22 CA$52.9

16.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$91.1 CA$130

21.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$105 CA$149

13.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$1,554 CA$2,210

-46.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

$1,391 CA$1,978

-55.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.2K

$2,699 CA$3,838

-40.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.9K

$2,236 CA$3,179

-47.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$5,896 CA$8,382

-1.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$5,309 CA$7,549

-26.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.9K

$3,132 CA$4,453

-47.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.56

41.45%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Markham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Markham

$1.4K 57.6% 124% $769

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Markham

$279 * 11.5% 8% $21

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Markham

$257 10.6% 15.2% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Markham

$197 8.2% 9.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Markham

$124 5.2% 25.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Markham

$63 2.6% 26.8% $23

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Markham

$105 * 4.3% 137% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $1,554 in Markham. 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 90% higher in Markham, 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 $53.0 in Markham. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $279 in Markham – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇦 Markham

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

19:26 7:26 PM

6 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

338,503

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Markham 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Markham

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 Markham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Markham is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $3,624 in Markham. 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 219% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $870 in Markham. 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 Markham at $2,416. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Markham 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, Markham makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.