Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Old Harbour

For one person, living is cheaper in Old Harbour: $998 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Old Harbour
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Old Harbour Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Old Harbour

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Old Harbour

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $998 in Old Harbour, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Old Harbour $998

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,652 in Old Harbour, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Old Harbour $1,652

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,305 in Old Harbour, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Old Harbour $2,305

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

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Old Harbour is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$13.53 JMD 2,138

3.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

-17.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.93 JMD 1,253

28.50%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$5.24 JMD 828

-37.79%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.20 JMD 190

78.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.73 JMD 115

143.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.17 JMD 343

70.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.17 JMD 500

18.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$4.03 JMD 636

-71.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$3.77 JMD 595

-52.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.59 JMD 251

56.60%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.47 JMD 548

12.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$11.28 JMD 1,783

-1.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.38 JMD 1,008

3.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.30 JMD 1,628

42.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$6.09 JMD 963

-69.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$3.80 JMD 601

-46.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$7.45 JMD 1,177

-68.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.06 JMD 484

27.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.28 JMD 519

-69.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.70 JMD 427

-62.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$3.03 JMD 479

-47.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.45 JMD 229

-53.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$9.24 JMD 1,459

-13.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$11.41 JMD 1,803

-45.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.80 JMD 442

-54.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$4.00 JMD 633

-49.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.16 JMD 184

185.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$3.07 JMD 486

-55.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.13 JMD 968

223.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.47 JMD 232

23.81%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

-33.46%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

3.02%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$164 JMD 26.0K

4.16%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$29.43 JMD 4,650

-20.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$53.0 JMD 8,374

-56.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$13.05 JMD 2,062

-28.74%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$361 JMD 57.0K

47.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$8,389 JMD 1.3M

99.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$23.49 JMD 3,710

324.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$31.98 JMD 5,053

35.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

44.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$104 JMD 16.4K

14.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

9.45

-31.75%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Old Harbour: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Old Harbour

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Old Harbour

$383 38.4% 48.4% $125

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Old Harbour

$220 22% 1.4% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Old Harbour

$247 24.7% 13.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Old Harbour

$106 10.6% 36.8% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Old Harbour

$26 * 2.6% 69.7% $60

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Old Harbour

$17 * 1.7% 62.6% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $74.0 in Old Harbour. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $383 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇲 Old Harbour

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

16:04 4:04 PM

7 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

26,024

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Old Harbour 9,000 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Old Harbour

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 Old Harbour: 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 $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,497 in Old Harbour. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $74.0 in Old Harbour. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 48% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Old Harbour, where all-in costs run around $998, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Old Harbour it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Old Harbour – 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 Old Harbour. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.