Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Middelburg, South Africa

For one person, living is cheaper in Middelburg: $1,099 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Middelburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,099

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Middelburg

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $1,099 in Middelburg, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Middelburg $1,099

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $1,695 in Middelburg, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Middelburg $1,695

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $2,291 in Middelburg, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Middelburg $2,291

Budapest costs about 50% more than Middelburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Middelburg is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,443

$9.53 R 158

43.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.8K

$35.98 R 595

68.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,266

$5.87 R 97.0

70.70%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,084

$1.29 R 21.36

158.14%

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

$2.12 Ft 690

$0.83 R 13.65

155.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 586

$0.64 R 10.59

181.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,176

$1.17 R 19.37

208.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,170

$1.52 R 25.13

136.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 364

$1.17 R 19.29

-4.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 628

$1.04 R 17.23

85.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 811

$1.46 R 24.21

70.55%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,286

$1.70 R 28.13

131.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,677

$5.76 R 95.3

95.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,195

$4.96 R 82.0

35.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,708

$6.60 R 109

118.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 606

$1.66 R 27.48

12.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 664

$1.08 R 17.87

88.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 746

$1.12 R 18.51

104.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,301

$1.24 R 20.44

221.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 307

$1.73 R 28.52

-45.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 333

$1.23 R 20.37

-17.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 539

$1.24 R 20.47

33.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 222

$1.04 R 17.18

-34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,547

$2.39 R 39.56

226.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,963

$4.80 R 79.3

25.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 421

$1.76 R 29.13

-26.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 660

$2.06 R 34.01

-1.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 488

$1.42 R 23.51

5.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,842

$42.88 R 709

-36.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,094

$0.94 R 15.53

257.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 448

$0.74 R 12.30

85.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,505

$11.57 R 191

72.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 608

$1.33 R 22.05

39.85%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.3M

$34.3K R 566.4K

-16.78%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.9M

$31.9K R 527.5K

4.60%

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

$178 Ft 58.1K

$151 R 2,499

17.86%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,686

$35.28 R 583

-33.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,861

$37.41 R 618

-35.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.7K

$32.36 R 535

115.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,551

$12.35 R 204

37.89%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,416

$6.25 R 103

67.68%

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

$625 Ft 203.8K

$236 R 3,898

165.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$6,077 R 100.4K

223.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.3K

$53.1 R 878

92.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.2K

$31.79 R 525

36.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$98.9 R 1,634

11.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.3K

$86.8 R 1,434

39.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 275.5K

$398 R 6,578

112.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 208.1K

$361 R 5,973

76.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 524.4K

$719 R 11.9K

123.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 396.7K

$728 R 12.0K

67.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$757 R 12.5K

633.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$670 R 11.1K

481.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 562.1K

$1,193 R 19.7K

44.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

10.92

-41.94%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Middelburg: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Middelburg

$361 32.9% 43.4% $277

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Middelburg

$170 15.4% 34.7% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Middelburg

$224 20.4% 0.9% $2

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Middelburg

$124 11.3% 43.5% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Middelburg

$122 11.1% 28% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Middelburg

$45 4.1% 50.5% $46

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Middelburg

$53 4.8% 22.8% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $398 in Middelburg. 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 45% higher in Budapest, 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 in Budapest versus $36 in Middelburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $170 – making Middelburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇿🇦 Middelburg

🕒 Local time

17:49 5:49 PM

18:49 6:49 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

87,348

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Middelburg 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Middelburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $1,648 in Middelburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Middelburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $398 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Budapest and $236 in Middelburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,647 in Budapest and $1,099 in Middelburg. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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