Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Newcastle upon Tyne

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,221 in Newcastle upon Tyne, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Newcastle upon Tyne
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,221
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Newcastle upon Tyne

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 Newcastle upon Tyne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $2,221 in Newcastle upon Tyne, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,621
  • Newcastle upon Tyne $2,221

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $3,285 in Newcastle upon Tyne, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,555
  • Newcastle upon Tyne $3,285

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $4,349 in Newcastle upon Tyne, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,489
  • Newcastle upon Tyne $4,349

Budapest is about 27% cheaper than Newcastle upon Tyne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Newcastle upon Tyne sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Newcastle upon Tyne by 66%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Newcastle upon Tyne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.99 Ft 4,551
$19.68 £14.87
-28.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
$97.9 £74.0
-38.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 Ft 3,241
$10.76 £8.13
-7.43%
Cappuccino
$3.38 Ft 1,100
$4.83 £3.65
-30.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 Ft 692
$3.14 £2.37
-32.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 Ft 608
$2.36 £1.78
-20.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 Ft 1,221
$6.77 £5.12
-44.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 Ft 1,162
$6.76 £5.11
-47.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Newcastle upon Tyne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 Ft 368
$1.45 £1.10
-22.07%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 Ft 599
$1.84 £1.39
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 Ft 777
$2.27 £1.72
5.29%
Eggs
$3.83 Ft 1,245
$3.69 £2.79
3.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 Ft 3,686
$9.59 £7.25
18.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.74 Ft 2,192
$8.86 £6.69
-23.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,780
$14.35 £10.85
2.37%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 Ft 597
$2.88 £2.18
-36.11%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 Ft 653
$1.84 £1.39
9.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 Ft 767
$2.85 £2.15
-17.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 Ft 1,226
$3.43 £2.59
9.91%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 Ft 313
$1.76 £1.33
-45.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 Ft 334
$1.37 £1.04
-24.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 Ft 509
$1.14 £0.86
36.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 Ft 216
$1.78 £1.35
-62.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,591
$20.57 £15.54
-61.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 Ft 1,954
$10.61 £8.01
-43.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 Ft 421
$3.07 £2.32
-57.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 Ft 676
$3.43 £2.59
-39.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Newcastle upon Tyne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 Ft 489
$3.39 £2.56
-55.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.61 Ft 8,982
$87.5 £66.1
-68.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.30 Ft 1,074
$6.46 £4.88
-48.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 Ft 424
$1.53 £1.16
-15.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.78 Ft 6,436
$27.52 £20.79
-28.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 Ft 591
$2.10 £1.59
-13.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
$38.4K £29.0K
-23.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
$40.6K £30.7K
-15.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Newcastle upon Tyne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 Ft 55.3K
$246 £186
-30.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.98 Ft 7,802
$16.85 £12.73
42.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.42 Ft 7,621
$41.97 £31.71
-44.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Newcastle upon Tyne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
$36.18 £27.34
83.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 Ft 6,239
$19.55 £14.77
-1.89%
Cinema Ticket
$9.52 Ft 3,098
$10.71 £8.09
-11.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Newcastle upon Tyne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$537 Ft 174.6K
$1,233 £932
-56.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
$17.7K £13.4K
-6.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Newcastle upon Tyne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 Ft 33.0K
$90.4 £68.3
12.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
$46.83 £35.39
-8.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 Ft 36.7K
$105 £79.6
6.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.6K
$94.1 £71.1
26.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Newcastle upon Tyne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 Ft 262.0K
$1,341 £1,013
-39.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 204.7K
$998 £754
-36.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
$2,133 £1,612
-27.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
$1,584 £1,197
-26.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
$5,085 £3,843
10.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
$3,548 £2,681
11.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Newcastle upon Tyne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
$3,366 £2,544
-51.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
5.15
24.85%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Newcastle upon Tyne: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$629
Newcastle upon Tyne
$998 58.7% $369
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Newcastle upon Tyne
$304 18.1% $47
Eating Out
Budapest
$224
Newcastle upon Tyne
$317 41.4% $93
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$217
Newcastle upon Tyne
$305 40.4% $88
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$169
Newcastle upon Tyne
$151 10.4% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$85
Newcastle upon Tyne
$58 32.5% $28
Getting Around
Budapest
$43
Newcastle upon Tyne
$115 165% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $1,341 in Newcastle upon Tyne. 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 107% higher in Newcastle upon Tyne, 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 $98.0 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $304 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇬🇧 Newcastle upon Tyne
🕒 Local time
13:24 1:24 PM
12:24 12:24 PM
1 h behind Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
809,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Newcastle upon Tyne 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Newcastle upon Tyne

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 Newcastle upon Tyne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Newcastle upon Tyne cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Newcastle upon Tyne is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $3,332 in Newcastle upon Tyne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 217% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $1,233 in Newcastle upon Tyne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Newcastle upon Tyne?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Newcastle upon Tyne at $2,221. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Newcastle upon Tyne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Newcastle upon Tyne more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Newcastle upon Tyne?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Newcastle upon Tyne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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