Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Petah Tikva

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,114 in Petah Tikva, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Petah Tikva
Learn more

Petah Tikva Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Petah Tikva

🇮🇱 Israel

$3,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Petah Tikva

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $3,114 in Petah Tikva, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Petah Tikva $3,114

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $4,641 in Petah Tikva, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Petah Tikva $4,641

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $6,167 in Petah Tikva, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Petah Tikva $6,167

Budapest is about 48% cheaper than Petah Tikva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Petah Tikva sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Petah Tikva by 132%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$26.50 ₪81.1

-47.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$114 ₪348

-46.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$19.79 ₪60.6

-49.67%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$5.04 ₪15.43

-32.94%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$3.77 ₪11.53

-43.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$3.16 ₪9.68

-40.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$10.27 ₪31.44

-63.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$10.10 ₪30.89

-64.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$2.57 ₪7.85

-56.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$3.41 ₪10.44

-46.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$3.83 ₪11.72

-37.60%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$5.01 ₪15.34

-23.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$17.65 ₪54.0

-35.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$14.79 ₪45.26

-54.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$25.12 ₪76.9

-41.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$4.46 ₪13.65

-58.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$3.40 ₪10.39

-40.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.44 ₪7.47

-3.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$2.65 ₪8.12

42.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.95 ₪5.96

-50.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.68 ₪5.13

-38.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$2.06 ₪6.31

-24.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.92 ₪5.89

-65.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$13.91 ₪42.55

-42.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$16.54 ₪50.6

-63.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$3.87 ₪11.84

-66.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$4.27 ₪13.07

-51.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$2.69 ₪8.23

-44.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$63.3 ₪194

-56.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$4.24 ₪12.99

-22.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.11 ₪3.39

17.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$19.67 ₪60.2

0.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$2.59 ₪7.92

-30.12%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$57.0K ₪174.4K

-48.53%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$59.2K ₪181.0K

-42.34%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$400 ₪1,223

-57.49%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$11.40 ₪34.89

110.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$42.45 ₪130

-44.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$147 ₪448

-54.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$22.38 ₪68.5

-14.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$14.88 ₪45.54

-36.02%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$1,396 ₪4,273

-61.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$29.4K ₪89.9K

-43.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$118 ₪362

-14.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$88.1 ₪270

-51.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$178 ₪544

-36.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$163 ₪498

-27.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$1,401 ₪4,287

-42.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$1,315 ₪4,023

-52.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$2,349 ₪7,189

-34.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$2,079 ₪6,362

-43.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$9,789 ₪30.0K

-42.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$9,895 ₪30.3K

-59.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$3,959 ₪12.1K

-58.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

5.03

27.83%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Petah Tikva: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Petah Tikva

$1.3K 41.5% 109% $686

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Petah Tikva

$465 14.7% 80.4% $207

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Petah Tikva

$431 13.6% 92.3% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Petah Tikva

$454 14.3% 109% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Petah Tikva

$246 7.8% 45.5% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Petah Tikva

$176 5.6% 107% $91

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Petah Tikva

$84 2.7% 93.1% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $1,401 in Petah Tikva. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 144% higher in Petah Tikva, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $114 in Petah Tikva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $465 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇱 Petah Tikva

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

13:16 1:16 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

236,169

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 ILS = 0.327 USD

1 ILS = 0.292 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, 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).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.06 ILS (1 ILS = 0.327 USD). 1 EUR = 3.43 ILS (1 ILS = 0.292 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Petah Tikva 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Petah Tikva

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 Petah Tikva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Petah Tikva is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $4,671 in Petah Tikva. 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.

Public transport costs about 129% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $1,396 in Petah Tikva. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Petah Tikva at $3,114. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Petah Tikva 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, Petah Tikva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.