Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and New Westminster

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,526 in New Westminster, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
123

Cost of Living Index in New Westminster
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New Westminster Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

New Westminster

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in New Westminster

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $2,526 in New Westminster, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
New Westminster $2,526

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $3,900 in New Westminster, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
New Westminster $3,900

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $5,273 in New Westminster, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
New Westminster $5,273

Budapest is about 36% cheaper than New Westminster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and New Westminster sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, New Westminster by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,525

$19.28 CA$27.40

-27.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$49.65 CA$70.6

23.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,307

$10.12 CA$14.39

0.69%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,060

$3.47 CA$4.93

-6.05%

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

$2.14 Ft 694

$1.85 CA$2.63

15.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$1.55 CA$2.20

14.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$5.77 CA$8.20

-35.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$5.63 CA$8.00

-33.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.76 CA$2.50

-34.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$2.34 CA$3.32

-23.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 808

$3.45 CA$4.90

-27.83%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,267

$3.01 CA$4.28

29.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,605

$10.80 CA$15.35

2.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$15.33 CA$21.79

-56.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,769

$26.67 CA$37.91

-44.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$3.77 CA$5.37

-51.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.48 CA$2.10

38.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$3.60 CA$5.11

-34.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$3.66 CA$5.20

6.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$2.33 CA$3.32

-57.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$2.21 CA$3.15

-54.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 514

$2.33 CA$3.31

-32.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$1.80 CA$2.56

-62.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,585

$15.33 CA$21.79

-48.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,019

$10.63 CA$15.11

-41.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$2.02 CA$2.87

-37.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 658

$2.72 CA$3.86

-25.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$2.52 CA$3.58

-39.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,098

$90.3 CA$128

-68.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$2.05 CA$2.91

61.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$1.72 CA$2.44

-20.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,438

$22.76 CA$32.34

-12.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.26 CA$1.79

44.44%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$23.9K CA$33.9K

24.90%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$19.0K CA$27.0K

78.03%

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

$171 Ft 55.6K

$139 CA$197

23.36%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,634

$42.09 CA$59.8

-44.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,563

$63.0 CA$89.5

-63.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$32.42 CA$46.08

108.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,135

$17.27 CA$24.55

9.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,019

$11.94 CA$16.96

-22.11%

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

$533 Ft 173.2K

$758 CA$1,078

-29.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$8,536 CA$12.1K

96.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$52.3 CA$74.3

90.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$41.77 CA$59.4

4.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$77.5 CA$110

42.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$96.6 CA$137

23.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$1,548 CA$2,200

-46.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

$1,319 CA$1,875

-52.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.4K

$2,841 CA$4,038

-43.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 380.0K

$2,620 CA$3,724

-55.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,810 CA$6,836

21.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$4,025 CA$5,721

-3.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 536.1K

$2,989 CA$4,248

-44.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.72

36.65%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for New Westminster: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

New Westminster

$1.3K 52.2% 112% $697

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

New Westminster

$396 15.7% 53.3% $138

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

New Westminster

$280 11.1% 25.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

New Westminster

$244 9.7% 11.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

New Westminster

$121 4.8% 28% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

New Westminster

$56 2.2% 34.6% $30

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

New Westminster

$111 4.4% 151% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $1,548 in New Westminster. 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 81% higher in New Westminster, 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $50.0 in New Westminster. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $396 in New Westminster – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇦 New Westminster

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

18:27 6:27 PM

9 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

58,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest New Westminster 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
New Westminster

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 New Westminster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – New Westminster is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $3,790 in New Westminster. 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 222% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $758 in New Westminster. 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 New Westminster at $2,526. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Westminster 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, New Westminster makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.