Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Midlands

For one person, living is cheaper in Midlands: $621 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Midlands
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Midlands Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Midlands

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Midlands

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $621 in Midlands, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Midlands $621

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,041 in Midlands, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Midlands $1,041

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,461 in Midlands, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Midlands $1,461

Budapest costs about 161% more than Midlands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Midlands is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$5.78 MUR 272

141.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$38.17 MUR 1,797

60.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.46 MUR 351

36.60%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.69 MUR 127

21.19%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.12 MUR 52.8

91.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.67 MUR 31.64

165.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.60 MUR 123

42.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.74 MUR 223

-20.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.60 MUR 75.3

-28.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.71 MUR 33.65

152.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.10 MUR 51.8

126.36%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.63 MUR 124

48.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$5.33 MUR 251

108.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.14 MUR 289

7.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.08 MUR 522

32.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.74 MUR 129

-33.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.64 MUR 125

-22.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.42 MUR 67.1

66.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.98 MUR 140

30.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.92 MUR 43.45

7.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.00 MUR 47.23

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.68 MUR 31.98

132.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.88 MUR 41.57

-23.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.47 MUR 304

23.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$8.63 MUR 406

-27.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.64 MUR 77.2

-22.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.35 MUR 111

-13.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.23 MUR 199

-21.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$3.13 MUR 148

-56.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$21.28 MUR 1,002

-6.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.40 MUR 65.8

30.00%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

-19.37%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$31.1K MUR 1.5M

8.67%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$44.88 MUR 2,113

281.28%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$10.59 MUR 499

122.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$29.02 MUR 1,366

-19.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.46 MUR 304

43.96%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$128 MUR 6,031

316.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$7,748 MUR 364.8K

116.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$77.7 MUR 3,657

28.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$72.9 MUR 3,433

-40.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$121 MUR 5,712

-9.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$76.1 MUR 3,584

56.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.67

-3.30%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Midlands: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Midlands

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Midlands

$216 34.9% 16.1% $42

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Midlands

$131 21% 41.5% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Midlands

$85 13.6% 61.2% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Midlands

$157 25.2% 6.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Midlands

$13 * 2.1% 85% $73

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Midlands

$20 * 3.2% 55% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $38.00 in Midlands. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $216 – making Midlands the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇺 Midlands

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

19:11 7:11 PM

2 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

4,546

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, 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).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Midlands 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Midlands

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 Midlands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 161%, 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 $931 in Midlands. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $38.00 in Midlands. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Midlands, where all-in costs run around $621, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Midlands it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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