Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Newcastle, South Africa

For one person, living is cheaper in Newcastle: $1,020 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle
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Newcastle Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Newcastle

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Newcastle

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $1,020 in Newcastle, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Newcastle $1,020

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $1,627 in Newcastle, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Newcastle $1,627

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $2,235 in Newcastle, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Newcastle $2,235

Budapest costs about 62% more than Newcastle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Newcastle is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$9.14 R 151

49.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$36.28 R 598

67.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$5.33 R 87.8

87.99%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$2.28 R 37.55

46.05%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$1.03 R 16.90

105.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.81 R 13.30

122.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$2.36 R 38.89

52.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$3.38 R 55.6

6.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$1.19 R 19.59

-5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.10 R 18.11

75.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$1.34 R 22.00

85.82%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$1.83 R 30.21

115.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$6.79 R 112

66.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$4.97 R 82.0

35.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$7.43 R 123

94.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$0.84 R 13.91

121.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$1.03 R 16.90

98.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$0.93 R 15.30

146.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$1.37 R 22.65

191.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$0.96 R 15.75

-2.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$1.23 R 20.32

-17.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$0.77 R 12.67

114.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.61 R 10.05

11.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,533

$3.22 R 53.1

142.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$2.93 R 48.22

105.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.37 R 22.60

-5.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$0.88 R 14.45

129.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 485

$1.59 R 26.21

-5.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,792

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,088

$0.31 R 5.18

983.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$0.76 R 12.59

80.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$14.48 R 239

37.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.53 R 25.27

21.57%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$35.8K R 590.4K

-20.41%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$34.1K R 562.5K

-2.20%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$154 R 2,538

15.67%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$37.56 R 619

-37.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$36.63 R 604

-34.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.6K

$32.65 R 538

113.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,520

$10.38 R 171

64.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,397

$7.29 R 120

43.76%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$265 R 4,372

135.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$6,178 R 101.8K

217.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$52.7 R 869

93.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$32.02 R 528

35.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$91.7 R 1,511

19.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$82.1 R 1,353

46.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 274.0K

$434 R 7,147

94.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.9K

$321 R 5,283

99.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 521.5K

$759 R 12.5K

112.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 394.5K

$751 R 12.4K

62.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$676 R 11.1K

721.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$704 R 11.6K

453.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 559.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

11.34

-44.09%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Newcastle: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Newcastle

$321 31.5% 49.8% $318

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Newcastle

$154 15.1% 40.6% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Newcastle

$228 22.4% 1% $2.4

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Newcastle

$142 14% 35.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Newcastle

$116 11.4% 31.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Newcastle

$47 4.6% 47.9% $43

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Newcastle

$11 * 1% 75.8% $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 $434 in Newcastle. 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 $36 in Newcastle. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $154 – making Newcastle the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇿🇦 Newcastle

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

12:05 12:05 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

363,236

💱 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 = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Newcastle 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Newcastle

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $1,529 in Newcastle. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Newcastle, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $434 there versus $845 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $36 in Newcastle. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Budapest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,647 in Budapest and $1,020 in Newcastle, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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