Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Midrand

For one person, living is cheaper in Midrand: $1,100 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Midrand
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Midrand Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Midrand

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,100

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Midrand

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $1,100 in Midrand, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Midrand $1,100

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $1,632 in Midrand, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Midrand $1,632

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $2,164 in Midrand, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Midrand $2,164

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$5.75 R 94.3

137.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

$29.82 R 489

103.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,239

$2.96 R 48.46

238.51%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,075

$1.86 R 30.42

79.03%

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

$2.12 Ft 684

$1.26 R 20.57

68.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 581

$0.98 R 16.08

83.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,166

$2.44 R 40.04

47.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,160

$2.38 R 38.96

50.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 361

$1.35 R 22.16

-17.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 623

$1.12 R 18.28

72.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.30 R 21.29

91.54%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,275

$2.64 R 43.29

49.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,646

$8.74 R 143

29.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,177

$5.30 R 86.8

26.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,670

$8.82 R 145

63.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 601

$1.99 R 32.64

-6.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$1.11 R 18.18

83.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 740

$1.75 R 28.75

30.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,290

$1.48 R 24.28

169.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 304

$1.64 R 26.92

-42.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 330

$1.73 R 28.38

-41.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 534

$1.21 R 19.86

36.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$1.30 R 21.30

-47.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,526

$3.21 R 52.7

143.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,946

$5.44 R 89.1

10.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 418

$0.95 R 15.52

35.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 655

$1.17 R 19.12

72.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 484

$1.71 R 27.99

-12.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,085

$0.86 R 14.11

290.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.58 R 9.51

136.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,451

$14.33 R 235

39.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.44 R 23.66

29.17%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$33.2K R 543.8K

-14.09%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$29.9K R 490.3K

11.55%

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

$178 Ft 57.6K

$107 R 1,754

66.41%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,623

$24.56 R 402

-3.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,797

$37.78 R 619

-36.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

$32.69 R 536

113.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,505

$11.73 R 192

45.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,388

$8.52 R 140

23.00%

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

$625 Ft 202.1K

$182 R 2,984

243.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$7,585 R 124.3K

158.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.0K

$59.8 R 980

70.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

$44.30 R 726

-2.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.5K

$83.3 R 1,365

31.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.0K

$84.6 R 1,386

42.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 273.3K

$483 R 7,913

75.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.4K

$447 R 7,325

42.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

$813 R 13.3K

97.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

$747 R 12.2K

62.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$747 R 12.2K

643.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$675 R 11.1K

477.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 557.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

10.91

-41.89%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Midrand: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Midrand

$447 40.7% 30% $191

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Midrand

$197 18% 24% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Midrand

$169 15.4% 25% $56

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Midrand

$103 9.4% 53.1% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Midrand

$122 11.1% 27.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Midrand

$50 4.5% 45.1% $41

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Midrand

$11 * 1% 75.5% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $483 in Midrand. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $30 in Midrand. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $197 – making Midrand the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇿🇦 Midrand

🕒 Local time

19:24 7:24 PM

20:24 8:24 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

87,387

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Midrand 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Midrand

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 Midrand: 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 $1,650 in Midrand. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Midrand, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $483 there versus $845 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $30 in Midrand. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Budapest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Midrand, where all-in costs run around $1,100, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Midrand it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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