Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Mumbai (Bombay)

For one person, living is cheaper in Mumbai (Bombay): $769 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Mumbai (Bombay)
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Mumbai (Bombay) Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Mumbai (Bombay)

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 Mumbai (Bombay) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $769 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Mumbai (Bombay) $769

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,281 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,281

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,793 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,793

Budapest costs about 111% more than Mumbai (Bombay), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Mumbai (Bombay) is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$5.29 ₹512

164.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$21.16 ₹2,048

185.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$4.08 ₹394

144.12%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.61 ₹253

29.50%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.36 ₹35.00

491.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.13 ₹12.56

1338.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.63 ₹255

42.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$4.12 ₹398

-13.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$0.73 ₹70.5

54.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$0.50 ₹48.39

268.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$0.76 ₹73.6

214.47%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$1.00 ₹96.9

283.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$5.56 ₹538

103.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$3.60 ₹349

87.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$2.15 ₹208

-14.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$0.72 ₹69.8

179.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.24 ₹120

90.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$0.50 ₹48.21

654.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.34 ₹32.59

182.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$0.37 ₹35.51

178.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.44 ₹42.60

254.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.28 ₹26.87

135.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$5.08 ₹491

56.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$8.32 ₹805

-27.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.94 ₹188

-32.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$3.07 ₹297

-32.25%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.16 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.22 ₹21.29

581.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$5.61 ₹543

392.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$0.31 ₹29.53

964.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.33 ₹31.47

293.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$1.54 ₹149

1184.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.15 ₹111

57.39%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$15.7K ₹1.5M

86.46%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$21.8K ₹2.1M

56.28%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$60.7 ₹5,877

179.87%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$4.39 ₹425

446.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$8.80 ₹852

166.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$26.08 ₹2,525

153.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$13.19 ₹1,277

45.41%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$4.49 ₹434

112.03%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$114 ₹11.0K

371.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$5,082 ₹491.9K

226.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$36.13 ₹3,497

180.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$39.96 ₹3,867

7.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$54.5 ₹5,270

107.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$47.98 ₹4,644

147.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$598 ₹57.9K

34.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$344 ₹33.3K

82.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$1,797 ₹173.9K

-13.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$866 ₹83.8K

34.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$5,811 ₹562.3K

-3.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$2,418 ₹234.0K

64.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$768 ₹74.4K

111.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

8.29

-22.44%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mumbai (Bombay): October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$344 44.9% 45.3% $285

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$116 15.1% 55% $142

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$109 14.2% 51.3% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$74 9.6% 66% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$80 10.5% 52.5% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$35 4.6% 58.9% $50

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$8.4 1.1% 80.6% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $598 in Mumbai (Bombay). 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 112% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $116 – making Mumbai (Bombay) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

10:17 10:17 AM

3 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

12,442,373

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Mumbai (Bombay) 5,770 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Mumbai (Bombay)

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 Mumbai (Bombay): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 111%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,153 in Mumbai (Bombay). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mumbai (Bombay), especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 392% less in Mumbai (Bombay). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $114 in Mumbai (Bombay). For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mumbai (Bombay), where all-in costs run around $769, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Mumbai (Bombay) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mumbai (Bombay) – 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 Mumbai (Bombay). 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.