Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Prague

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,035 in Prague, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Prague outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Prague
Learn more

Prague Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Prague

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$2,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Prague

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $2,035 in Prague, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Prague $2,035

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,943 in Prague, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Prague $2,943

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,851 in Prague, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Prague $3,851

Budapest is about 20% cheaper than Prague, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Prague sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Prague by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$10.85 Kč 235

28.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$51.1 Kč 1,105

19.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$10.22 Kč 221

-0.29%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.58 Kč 77.5

-8.94%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.03 Kč 44.00

5.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.42 Kč 30.71

25.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.18 Kč 68.8

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.13 Kč 67.7

20.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.08 Kč 23.32

6.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.62 Kč 34.95

10.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.40 Kč 51.9

3.75%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.72 Kč 80.5

4.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$11.99 Kč 259

-7.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$8.54 Kč 185

-22.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.12 Kč 305

4.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.90 Kč 41.11

-3.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.74 Kč 37.61

17.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.18 Kč 47.20

8.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.72 Kč 80.5

4.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.00 Kč 21.62

-1.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.01 Kč 21.87

-0.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.55 Kč 33.45

1.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.78 Kč 16.91

-14.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$7.69 Kč 166

3.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.79 Kč 147

-8.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.19 Kč 25.74

6.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.97 Kč 42.70

3.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.78 Kč 38.44

-14.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$21.11 Kč 457

32.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.67 Kč 57.7

23.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.64 Kč 35.48

-16.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$19.40 Kč 420

2.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.97 Kč 42.50

-7.61%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$30.6K Kč 662.6K

-2.74%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$34.1K Kč 737.0K

-0.78%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$284 Kč 6,134

-39.67%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$23.46 Kč 507

0.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$22.04 Kč 477

5.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$67.8 Kč 1,467

-0.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$17.40 Kč 376

8.56%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$13.08 Kč 283

-28.90%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$1,094 Kč 23.7K

-51.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$18.7K Kč 404.5K

-10.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$92.2 Kč 1,995

8.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$47.06 Kč 1,018

-7.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$111 Kč 2,391

-0.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$129 Kč 2,790

-7.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$1,117 Kč 24.2K

-25.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$942 Kč 20.4K

-33.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$2,234 Kč 48.3K

-28.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,566 Kč 33.9K

-25.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$9,321 Kč 201.6K

-37.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$6,757 Kč 146.1K

-42.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$2,344 Kč 50.7K

-29.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.72

36.65%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Prague: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Prague

$942 46.3% 51.5% $320

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Prague

$264 13% 2.3% $5.9

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Prague

$196 9.7% 11.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Prague

$329 16.2% 51% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Prague

$171 8.4% 1.7% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Prague

$94 4.6% 9.1% $7.9

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Prague

$39 1.9% 11.6% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $1,117 in Prague. 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 42% higher in Prague, 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $51.0 in Prague. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $264 in Prague – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇿 Prague

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

Same time as Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,251,933 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CZK, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Budapest
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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 Prague: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Prague is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $3,053 in Prague. 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 33% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $1,094 in Prague. 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 $1,619, than in Prague at $2,035. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Prague 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, Prague makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.