Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Migdal HaEmek

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,776 in Migdal HaEmek, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 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
134

Cost of Living Index in Migdal HaEmek
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Migdal HaEmek Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Migdal HaEmek

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Migdal HaEmek

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $2,776 in Migdal HaEmek, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Migdal HaEmek $2,776

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $4,045 in Migdal HaEmek, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Migdal HaEmek $4,045

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $5,314 in Migdal HaEmek, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Migdal HaEmek $5,314

Budapest is about 42% cheaper than Migdal HaEmek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Migdal HaEmek sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Migdal HaEmek by 106%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$25.63 ₪79.8

-45.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$90.5 ₪282

-32.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$19.38 ₪60.3

-47.42%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.55 ₪14.16

-28.35%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$3.43 ₪10.68

-37.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$2.76 ₪8.60

-35.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$9.49 ₪29.51

-60.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$10.16 ₪31.62

-62.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.42 ₪7.54

-52.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$3.60 ₪11.21

-50.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$3.28 ₪10.20

-24.09%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$4.45 ₪13.85

-12.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$12.90 ₪40.13

-13.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$12.77 ₪39.74

-48.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$24.05 ₪74.8

-38.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$4.41 ₪13.71

-58.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.96 ₪9.21

-30.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.38 ₪7.41

-0.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.54 ₪7.91

53.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.05 ₪6.37

-51.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.68 ₪5.24

-40.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$2.31 ₪7.20

-31.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$2.42 ₪7.53

-72.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$10.08 ₪31.37

-21.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$13.04 ₪40.57

-52.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$3.23 ₪10.04

-60.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$4.20 ₪13.07

-51.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.52 ₪7.85

-39.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$111 ₪345

-74.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.31 ₪13.41

-23.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.22 ₪3.81

12.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$36.62 ₪114

-45.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.54 ₪7.89

-28.35%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$58.3K ₪181.5K

-48.91%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$57.3K ₪178.4K

-41.03%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$258 ₪802

-33.58%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$11.81 ₪36.76

99.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$36.31 ₪113

-35.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$89.6 ₪279

-24.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$15.59 ₪48.49

-40.35%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$1,155 ₪3,592

-53.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$27.5K ₪85.6K

-39.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$103 ₪322

-3.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$64.5 ₪201

-32.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$133 ₪413

-16.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$156 ₪485

-23.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$1,477 ₪4,594

-43.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$1,177 ₪3,660

-47.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,984 ₪6,174

-19.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,775 ₪5,522

-34.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$10.1K ₪31.3K

-41.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$8,612 ₪26.8K

-54.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.04

27.98%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Migdal HaEmek: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Migdal HaEmek

$1.2K 42.4% 89.2% $555

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Migdal HaEmek

$426 15.4% 65.3% $168

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Migdal HaEmek

$410 14.8% 84% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Migdal HaEmek

$306 11% 40.3% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Migdal HaEmek

$205 7.4% 22.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Migdal HaEmek

$121 4.4% 40.3% $35

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Migdal HaEmek

$131 4.7% 197% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $1,477 in Migdal HaEmek. 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $91.0 in Migdal HaEmek. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $426 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇱 Migdal HaEmek

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

09:44 9:44 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

24,700

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, 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).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Migdal HaEmek 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Migdal HaEmek

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 Migdal HaEmek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Migdal HaEmek is pricier by about 72%, 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 $4,165 in Migdal HaEmek. 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 296% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $1,155 in Migdal HaEmek. 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 Migdal HaEmek at $2,776. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Migdal HaEmek 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, Migdal HaEmek makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.