Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Palau

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,985 in Palau, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. The total is higher in Palau despite lower rent and utilities.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
🇵🇼 Palau
$1,985
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Budapest is 40.4% cheaper than Palau without rent, and 18.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Budapest is 20.2% cheaper than Palau without rent, and 13.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Palau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.99 Ft 4,551
$13.61 $13.61
2.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
$75.1 $75.1
-19.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 Ft 3,241
$9.94 $9.94
0.20%
Cappuccino
$3.38 Ft 1,100
$4.04 $4.04
-16.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 Ft 692
$1.40 $1.40
52.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 Ft 608
$1.05 $1.05
78.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 Ft 1,221
$1.53 $1.53
145.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 Ft 1,162
$2.14 $2.14
66.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Palau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 Ft 368
$2.59 $2.59
-56.37%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 Ft 599
$3.05 $3.05
-39.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 Ft 777
$0.26 $0.26
819.23%
Eggs
$3.83 Ft 1,245
$6.35 $6.35
-39.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 Ft 3,686
$9.95 $9.95
13.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.74 Ft 2,192
$13.65 $13.65
-50.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,780
$19.59 $19.59
-25.01%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 Ft 597
$5.37 $5.37
-65.74%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 Ft 653
$2.26 $2.26
-11.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 Ft 767
$5.57 $5.57
-57.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 Ft 1,226
$16.51 $16.51
-77.17%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 Ft 313
$4.70 $4.70
-79.57%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 Ft 334
$3.40 $3.40
-69.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 Ft 509
$1.98 $1.98
-21.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 Ft 216
$1.74 $1.74
-62.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,591
$14.91 $14.91
-46.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 Ft 1,954
$22.37 $22.37
-73.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 Ft 421
$3.49 $3.49
-62.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 Ft 676
$3.40 $3.40
-38.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Palau
Difference
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
$2.47 $2.47
33.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 Ft 424
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.78 Ft 6,436
$5.86 $5.86
237.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 Ft 591
$1.92 $1.92
-5.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
$17.8K $17.8K
64.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
$15.2K $15.2K
124.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Palau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 Ft 55.3K
$170 $170
-0.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.98 Ft 7,802
$52.3 $52.3
-54.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.42 Ft 7,621
$198 $198
-88.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Palau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
$79.3 $79.3
-16.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 Ft 6,239
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.52 Ft 3,098
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Palau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$537 Ft 174.6K
$255 $255
110.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Palau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 Ft 33.0K
$84.0 $84.0
20.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
$65.4 $65.4
-34.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 Ft 36.7K
$195 $195
-42.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.6K
$195 $195
-39.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Palau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 Ft 262.0K
$737 $737
9.22%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 204.7K
$530 $530
18.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
$2,156 $2,156
-28.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
$934 $934
24.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Palau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
$773 $773
110.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
0
-

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Palau: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$629
Palau
$530 15.8% $99
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Palau
$504 95.5% $246
Eating Out
Budapest
$224
Palau
$209 6.9% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$217
Palau
$420 93.3% $203
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$169
Palau
$243 43.4% $73
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$85
Palau
$79 * 7% $6
Getting Around
Budapest
$43
Palau
$2.5 * 94.3% $41

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

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇵🇼 Palau
🕒 Local time
06:56 6:56 AM
13:56 1:56 PM
7 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
21,729
Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Palau 11,250 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Palau

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

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