Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Seria

For one person, living is cheaper in Seria: $567 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Seria
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Seria Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Seria

🇧🇳 Brunei

$567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Seria

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $567 in Seria, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Seria $567

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $904 in Seria, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Seria $904

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,242 in Seria, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Seria $1,242

Budapest costs about 186% more than Seria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Seria is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.13 BND 4.00

345.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$27.07 BND 34.64

126.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.36 BND 6.86

90.11%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 BND 2.04

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.88 BND 4.97

-15.98%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.91 BND 1.16

135.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.54 BND 0.69

229.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.81 BND 2.32

-36.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.43 BND 1.83

25.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.21 BND 1.55

105.79%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.38 BND 1.76

182.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$6.17 BND 7.90

79.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.41 BND 5.64

50.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.89 BND 13.93

34.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.20 BND 4.09

-42.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.23 BND 2.85

-8.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.98 BND 3.82

-20.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.55 BND 3.27

52.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.68 BND 2.15

-41.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.08 BND 2.66

-51.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$3.74 BND 4.79

-57.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.76 BND 0.98

-11.84%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.42 BND 29.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 BND 4.12

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 BND 1.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$15.42 BND 19.73

-48.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.02 BND 5.14

-17.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$3.25 BND 4.15

-57.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$11.77 BND 15.06

68.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.30 BND 0.38

506.67%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$43.5K BND 55.7K

-31.57%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$36.2K BND 46.3K

-6.63%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$61.8 BND 79.0

177.07%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$15.66 BND 20.03

50.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$64.1 BND 82.0

-63.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$27.52 BND 35.20

145.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.36 BND 6.86

73.51%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$216 BND 276

147.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$9,750 BND 12.5K

71.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$31.04 BND 39.71

220.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$27.71 BND 35.45

56.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$50.3 BND 64.4

119.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$46.16 BND 59.1

157.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$716 BND 917

130.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.88

66.24%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Seria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Seria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Seria

$203 35.9% 21.1% $55

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Seria

$94 16.5% 58.1% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Seria

$142 25% 35.1% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Seria

$70 12.3% 58.3% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Seria

$38 6.8% 55.6% $48

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Seria

$20 * 3.6% 54.2% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 130% 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $27.00 in Seria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $203 – making Seria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇳 Seria

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

13:20 1:20 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

30,097

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, 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).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.695 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Seria 10,030 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Seria

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 Seria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 186%, 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 $850 in Seria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $27.00 in Seria. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Seria, where all-in costs run around $567, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Seria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seria – 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 Seria. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.