Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Noord

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,877 in Noord, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Noord outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Noord

🇦🇼 Aruba

$1,877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Noord

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,877 in Noord, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Noord $1,877

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $3,082 in Noord, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Noord $3,082

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $4,288 in Noord, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Noord $4,288

Budapest is about 14% cheaper than Noord, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Budapest and Noord sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Noord by 40%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$23.19 AWG 41.52

-39.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$86.9 AWG 155

-30.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$3.07 AWG 5.49

-30.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$1.98 AWG 3.55

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$8.71 AWG 15.59

-56.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$8.93 AWG 15.99

-60.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.83 AWG 3.27

-38.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$2.89 AWG 5.18

-36.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.94 AWG 5.26

-18.71%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$6.56 AWG 11.74

-41.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$12.63 AWG 22.61

-10.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$9.10 AWG 16.29

-25.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$12.28 AWG 21.99

19.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$4.75 AWG 8.50

-61.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$2.30 AWG 4.11

-12.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$4.95 AWG 8.87

-52.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$3.47 AWG 6.22

8.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$2.20 AWG 3.94

-56.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$2.06 AWG 3.69

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$2.65 AWG 4.74

-41.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.51 AWG 2.71

-56.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$10.16 AWG 18.19

-21.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$10.00 AWG 17.90

-39.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$5.50 AWG 9.85

-76.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$4.51 AWG 8.07

-53.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$2.90 AWG 5.19

-37.59%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$1,484 AWG 2,657

-45.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$1,188 AWG 2,127

-47.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$2,840 AWG 5,084

-45.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$2,506 AWG 4,487

-53.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Noord: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Noord

–

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Noord

–

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Noord

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Noord

–

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Noord

–

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Noord

–

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Noord

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $1,484 in Noord. 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $87.0 in Noord. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $376 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇦🇼 Noord

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

05:05 5:05 AM

6 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

24,193

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.498 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, 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).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.498 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Noord 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Noord

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 Noord: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Noord is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,815 in Noord. 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.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Noord, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest and $87.0 in Noord. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Noord at $1,877. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Noord 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, Noord makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.