Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Shimla

For one person, living is cheaper in Shimla: $307 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 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
15

Cost of Living Index in Shimla
Learn more

Shimla Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Shimla

🇮🇳 India

$307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Shimla

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $307 in Shimla, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Shimla $307

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $500 in Shimla, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Shimla $500

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $694 in Shimla, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Shimla $694

Budapest costs about 436% more than Shimla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Shimla is 77% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$1.61 ₹152

746.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

$10.43 ₹985

481.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,239

$3.14 ₹297

219.11%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,075

$0.84 ₹79.4

296.43%

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

$2.12 Ft 684

$0.37 ₹35.11

472.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 581

$0.11 ₹9.94

1536.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,166

$1.57 ₹149

129.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,160

$2.13 ₹201

68.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 361

$0.69 ₹65.3

62.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 623

$0.40 ₹37.63

382.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.59 ₹55.9

322.03%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,275

$0.84 ₹79.2

369.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,646

$4.33 ₹409

160.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,177

$3.18 ₹300

111.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,670

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 601

$1.81 ₹171

2.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$0.71 ₹67.2

187.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 740

$0.65 ₹61.1

252.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,290

$0.48 ₹45.29

731.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 304

$0.28 ₹26.11

235.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 330

$0.34 ₹32.35

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 534

$0.20 ₹18.87

725.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.30 ₹28.59

126.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,526

$3.42 ₹323

128.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,946

$8.22 ₹777

-26.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 418

$1.49 ₹140

-13.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 655

$2.10 ₹198

-3.81%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.84 ₹363

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 484

$0.22 ₹20.79

581.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

$7.98 ₹754

239.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,085

$1.08 ₹102

211.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.34 ₹31.66

302.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,451

$1.08 ₹102

1748.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.05 ₹99.3

77.14%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$8,473 ₹800.5K

236.53%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$17.9K ₹1.7M

86.23%

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

$178 Ft 57.6K

$18.37 ₹1,735

869.90%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,623

$3.23 ₹305

630.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,797

$7.05 ₹666

242.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

$14.09 ₹1,331

394.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,505

$10.67 ₹1,008

59.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,388

$3.09 ₹292

239.16%

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

$625 Ft 202.1K

$42.31 ₹3,997

1377.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$2,170 ₹205.0K

805.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.0K

$24.95 ₹2,357

308.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

$21.61 ₹2,042

100.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.5K

$38.77 ₹3,662

183.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.0K

$25.88 ₹2,445

366.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 273.3K

$87.8 ₹8,297

862.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.4K

$52.3 ₹4,941

1120.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

$204 ₹19.3K

686.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

$124 ₹11.8K

878.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$561 ₹53.0K

890.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$558 ₹52.7K

598.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 557.5K

$617 ₹58.3K

179.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

8.25

-23.15%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Shimla: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Shimla

$52 17% 91.8% $586

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Shimla

$98 31.9% 62.3% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Shimla

$29 9.3% 87.3% $197

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Shimla

$46 15.1% 78.9% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Shimla

$50 16.3% 70.4% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Shimla

$20 6.6% 77.6% $70

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Shimla

$12 3.8% 73.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $88 in Shimla. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Budapest are about 2.8 times higher, 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 $10 in Shimla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $98 – making Shimla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇳 Shimla

🕒 Local time

21:09 9:09 PM

01:39 1:39 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

170,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Shimla 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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 Shimla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 436%, 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 $461 in Shimla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shimla, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $88 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 71% less in Shimla. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Budapest and $42 in Shimla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Shimla, where all-in costs run around $307, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Shimla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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