Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Northam

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,498 in Northam, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Northam
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Northam Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Northam

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Northam

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $2,498 in Northam, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Northam $2,498

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $3,618 in Northam, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Northam $3,618

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $4,737 in Northam, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Northam $4,737

Budapest is about 34% cheaper than Northam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Northam sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Northam by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,582

$19.97 A$28.40

-29.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.9K

$85.1 A$121

-28.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,385

$10.55 A$15.01

-1.71%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,129

$4.48 A$6.37

-22.77%

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

$2.07 Ft 676

$2.84 A$4.04

-27.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 578

$2.29 A$3.26

-22.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,203

$8.30 A$11.80

-55.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,241

$8.10 A$11.52

-53.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 378

$1.74 A$2.48

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 604

$2.58 A$3.67

-28.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 784

$1.98 A$2.82

21.21%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,302

$4.48 A$6.37

-10.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,721

$6.37 A$9.06

78.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,243

$9.12 A$12.98

-24.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,730

$14.08 A$20.02

2.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 613

$2.73 A$3.88

-31.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 700

$3.25 A$4.62

-34.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 752

$3.44 A$4.90

-33.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,317

$4.92 A$6.99

-17.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 333

$2.89 A$4.12

-64.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 323

$1.97 A$2.81

-49.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 515

$2.25 A$3.20

-29.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 227

$0.73 A$1.04

-4.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,620

$41.37 A$58.8

-80.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 2,017

$3.49 A$4.97

77.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 405

$4.40 A$6.25

-71.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 673

$3.51 A$5.00

-41.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 518

$2.92 A$4.16

-45.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,983

$80.6 A$115

-65.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,121

$3.53 A$5.02

-2.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 435

$1.46 A$2.07

-8.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,674

$41.14 A$58.5

-50.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 631

$1.35 A$1.91

42.96%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.5M

$26.9K A$38.2K

8.51%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.3M

$29.5K A$41.9K

17.87%

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

$175 Ft 57.0K

$196 A$279

-10.85%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,708

$24.09 A$34.27

-1.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,702

$64.3 A$91.5

-63.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.5K

$56.5 A$80.3

21.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,287

$17.81 A$25.33

8.14%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,366

$17.30 A$24.61

-40.40%

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

$535 Ft 174.7K

$2,328 A$3,310

-77.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$23.2K A$33.0K

-27.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.6K

$77.3 A$110

29.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.1K

$66.3 A$94.3

-34.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.5K

$123 A$174

-8.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.8K

$161 A$229

-26.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 271.5K

$1,391 A$1,978

-40.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 205.3K

$1,190 A$1,693

-47.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 517.6K

$2,173 A$3,091

-27.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 390.5K

$1,783 A$2,536

-32.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.9M

$5,780 A$8,221

-1.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$4,889 A$6,954

-19.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 558.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.91

9.14%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Northam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Northam

$1.2K 47.6% 89.2% $561

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Northam

$314 12.6% 19.9% $52

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Northam

$323 12.9% 42.8% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Northam

$284 11.4% 28.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Northam

$192 7.7% 14.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Northam

$91 3.7% 1.8% $1.6

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Northam

$103 4.1% 134% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $1,391 in Northam. 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 $85 in Northam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $314 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇦🇺 Northam

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

6,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Northam 13,080 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Northam

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 Northam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Northam is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $3,747 in Northam. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $832 there versus $1,391 in Northam.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $2,328 in Northam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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.

For expats, Budapest is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 52% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.