Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Pretoria: $1,278 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
Learn more

Pretoria Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Pretoria

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $1,278 in Pretoria, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Pretoria $1,278

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $1,980 in Pretoria, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Pretoria $1,980

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $2,683 in Pretoria, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Pretoria $2,683

Budapest costs about 29% more than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Pretoria is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$8.90 R 147

53.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$36.92 R 608

64.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$5.30 R 87.3

89.06%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$2.29 R 37.77

45.41%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$1.06 R 17.48

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.86 R 14.10

109.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$2.34 R 38.53

54.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$3.42 R 56.3

4.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$1.13 R 18.68

-0.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.14 R 18.75

69.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$1.83 R 30.17

36.07%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$2.41 R 39.78

63.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$8.44 R 139

33.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$5.00 R 82.4

34.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$7.41 R 122

94.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.79 R 29.54

3.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$1.68 R 27.71

21.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$1.78 R 29.31

28.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$1.58 R 26.05

152.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$1.08 R 17.77

-12.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$1.18 R 19.46

-13.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$1.18 R 19.41

39.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$1.29 R 21.19

-47.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,533

$3.27 R 53.9

138.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$5.17 R 85.2

16.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.55 R 25.57

-16.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$1.88 R 30.96

7.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 485

$4.59 R 75.7

-67.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,792

$181 R 2,988

-85.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,088

$0.31 R 5.13

983.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$0.79 R 13.03

73.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$14.73 R 243

35.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.53 R 25.20

21.57%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$35.7K R 588.8K

-20.19%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$35.1K R 578.4K

-4.90%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$150 R 2,470

18.87%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$36.66 R 604

-35.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$36.73 R 605

-34.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.6K

$31.99 R 527

117.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,520

$10.29 R 170

65.50%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,397

$7.07 R 117

48.23%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$261 R 4,300

139.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$15.0K R 246.8K

31.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$52.6 R 867

93.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$32.65 R 538

32.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$92.1 R 1,517

19.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$83.1 R 1,369

45.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 274.0K

$451 R 7,424

87.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.9K

$353 R 5,817

80.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 521.5K

$1,023 R 16.9K

57.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 394.5K

$727 R 12.0K

67.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$875 R 14.4K

534.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$652 R 10.8K

497.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 559.0K

$1,397 R 23.0K

23.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

11.34

-44.09%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Pretoria

$353 27.6% 44.7% $285

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Pretoria

$194 15.2% 25.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Pretoria

$223 17.5% 1.2% $2.6

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Pretoria

$141 11% 36% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Pretoria

$117 9.2% 30.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 49.1% $44

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Pretoria

$204 16% 371% $161

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $451 in Pretoria. 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 23% higher in Budapest, 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 in Budapest versus $37 in Pretoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $194 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

12:02 12:02 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Pretoria 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Pretoria

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 Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $1,917 in Pretoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pretoria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $451 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 85% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Budapest and $261 in Pretoria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pretoria, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Pretoria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pretoria – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Pretoria. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.