Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Port Vila

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,157 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
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Port Vila Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,157

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Port Vila

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $3,157 in Port Vila, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Port Vila $3,157

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $4,290 in Port Vila, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Port Vila $4,290

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $5,424 in Port Vila, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Port Vila $5,424

Budapest is about 49% cheaper than Port Vila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Budapest and Port Vila sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Port Vila by 136%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$12.64 VUV 1,480

10.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$55.9 VUV 6,540

8.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$14.29 VUV 1,673

-30.30%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$4.06 VUV 475

-16.75%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$2.32 VUV 271

-8.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$2.33 VUV 273

-19.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$4.93 VUV 577

-23.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$7.24 VUV 847

-50.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$2.86 VUV 335

-60.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.90 VUV 223

-3.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$3.83 VUV 448

-37.60%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$6.06 VUV 710

-36.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$17.62 VUV 2,063

-35.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$16.51 VUV 1,933

-59.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$13.76 VUV 1,611

6.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$6.98 VUV 817

-73.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$2.12 VUV 249

-5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$3.82 VUV 447

-38.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$9.36 VUV 1,096

-59.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$8.96 VUV 1,049

-89.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$3.50 VUV 410

-70.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$2.60 VUV 304

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.16 VUV 135

-43.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$9.16 VUV 1,073

-13.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$12.63 VUV 1,479

-52.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$2.50 VUV 292

-48.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.73 VUV 319

-23.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$1.24 VUV 145

20.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$68.8 VUV 8,054

-59.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$2.48 VUV 291

33.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.87 VUV 102

49.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$5.22 VUV 611

278.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.82 VUV 213

-0.55%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$23.6K VUV 2.8M

24.53%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$38.1K VUV 4.5M

-10.37%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$640 VUV 74.9K

-73.43%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$22.97 VUV 2,689

4.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$359 VUV 42.0K

-93.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$67.7 VUV 7,931

-2.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$17.18 VUV 2,011

11.64%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$625 VUV 73.2K

-14.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$6,995 VUV 819.0K

137.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$41.44 VUV 4,852

144.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$67.4 VUV 7,894

-36.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$85.5 VUV 10.0K

31.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$103 VUV 12.0K

15.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$1,581 VUV 185.1K

-49.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$1,117 VUV 130.8K

-43.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$3,398 VUV 397.9K

-54.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$1,872 VUV 219.2K

-37.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$6,112 VUV 715.6K

-8.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$2,206 VUV 258.3K

79.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$667 VUV 78.1K

143.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

6.18

4.05%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Port Vila: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.5% 77.6% $488

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Port Vila

$475 15.1% 84.4% $217

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Port Vila

$250 8% 11.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Port Vila

$1K 32.5% 370% $804

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Port Vila

$134 4.3% 21% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2% 20.6% $18

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Port Vila

$81 2.6% 85.5% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $1,581 in Port Vila. 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 Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $56.0 in Port Vila. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $475 in Port Vila – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

17:23 5:23 PM

9 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

44,039 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.62 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VUV, 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).

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD). 1 EUR = 131 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.62 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Port Vila 15,690 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Port Vila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Port Vila is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $4,735 in Port Vila. 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 149% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $625 in Port Vila. 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 Port Vila at $3,157. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Vila 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, Port Vila makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.