Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Saint John, New Brunswick

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Saint John, New Brunswick

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 Saint John, New Brunswick actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Saint John, New Brunswick $1,934

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,885 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Saint John, New Brunswick $2,885

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,836 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Saint John, New Brunswick $3,836

Budapest is about 16% cheaper than Saint John, New Brunswick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Saint John, New Brunswick sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Saint John, New Brunswick by 43%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$18.31 CA$25.89

-23.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$59.0 CA$83.5

3.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$10.43 CA$14.75

-2.30%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.00 CA$4.25

8.67%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.69 CA$2.39

26.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.06 CA$1.50

67.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$4.43 CA$6.26

-16.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$5.01 CA$7.08

-24.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.17 CA$3.07

-47.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$2.67 CA$3.77

-32.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$3.12 CA$4.41

-20.19%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.45 CA$4.88

13.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$13.17 CA$18.61

-15.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$11.72 CA$16.56

-43.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$12.78 CA$18.06

14.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$4.79 CA$6.77

-61.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.47 CA$2.08

39.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$4.18 CA$5.91

-43.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.90 CA$5.51

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.00 CA$2.83

-50.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.20 CA$3.11

-54.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$2.47 CA$3.49

-36.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.41 CA$1.99

-52.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$13.92 CA$19.67

-42.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$9.90 CA$13.99

-37.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.79 CA$2.53

-29.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.12 CA$3.00

-4.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.06 CA$2.92

-26.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$56.0 CA$79.2

-49.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.92 CA$4.13

13.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.06 CA$1.50

29.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$17.34 CA$24.52

14.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.25 CA$1.76

45.60%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$24.3K CA$34.4K

22.46%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$18.8K CA$26.6K

79.88%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$120 CA$169

43.20%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$41.55 CA$58.7

-43.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$64.7 CA$91.4

-63.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$52.3 CA$73.9

29.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$35.03 CA$49.52

-46.07%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$12.78 CA$18.07

-27.23%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$378 CA$534

41.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$11.1K CA$15.7K

50.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$48.34 CA$68.3

106.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$35.16 CA$49.71

23.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$103 CA$145

7.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$106 CA$150

12.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$990 CA$1,400

-16.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$819 CA$1,158

-24.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,610 CA$2,277

-1.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,304 CA$1,843

-10.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,018 CA$2,854

188.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,093 CA$2,959

85.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$2,402 CA$3,396

-31.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.69

37.53%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$819 42.4% 31.7% $197

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$350 18.1% 35.8% $92

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$257 13.3% 15.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$226 11.7% 3.6% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$131 6.8% 21.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$78 4% 9.6% $8.3

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.8% 63.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $990 in Saint John, New Brunswick. 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 45% higher in Saint John, New Brunswick, 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 $59.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $350 in Saint John, New Brunswick – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🕒 Local time

21:52 9:52 PM

16:52 4:52 PM

5 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

70,063

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Saint John, New Brunswick 6,190 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Saint John, New Brunswick

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 Saint John, New Brunswick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint John, New Brunswick is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,901 in Saint John, New Brunswick. 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 100% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $378 in Saint John, New Brunswick. 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 Saint John, New Brunswick at $1,934. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint John, New Brunswick 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, Saint John, New Brunswick makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.