Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Skardu

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $426 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Skardu
Learn more

Skardu Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Skardu

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $426 in Skardu, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Skardu $426

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $636 in Skardu, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Skardu $636

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $847 in Skardu, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Skardu $847

Budapest costs about 286% more than Skardu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Skardu is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$1.84 PKR 509

663.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$11.31 PKR 3,132

438.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$4.65 PKR 1,286

123.01%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 PKR 753

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 PKR 1,415

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$1.68 PKR 464

105.95%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.31 PKR 84.5

567.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.18 PKR 50.3

883.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$0.86 PKR 238

34.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.59 PKR 164

213.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.16 PKR 320

106.90%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$1.20 PKR 333

232.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$5.40 PKR 1,494

111.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$2.50 PKR 691

174.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$5.02 PKR 1,389

188.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.10 PKR 305

70.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$0.54 PKR 149

296.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$0.79 PKR 220

191.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$0.55 PKR 153

634.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.28 PKR 76.3

264.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.35 PKR 97.5

182.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.46 PKR 127

243.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.38 PKR 104

84.21%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.59 PKR 441

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PKR 295

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 PKR 563

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$2.10 PKR 580

282.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.16 PKR 45.37

893.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$9.06 PKR 2,509

203.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$1.24 PKR 343

176.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.71 PKR 196

87.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$1.83 PKR 506

1017.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.18 PKR 327

63.56%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

52.88%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

32.45%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$87.8 PKR 24.3K

98.80%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$3.60 PKR 996

556.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$13.36 PKR 3,697

76.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$15.33 PKR 4,243

349.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$7.98 PKR 2,208

141.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$4.88 PKR 1,351

111.27%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$47.71 PKR 13.2K

1022.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$1,082 PKR 299.5K

1456.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$19.16 PKR 5,304

421.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$24.54 PKR 6,793

76.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$59.7 PKR 16.5K

87.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$34.15 PKR 9,451

248.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$128 PKR 35.4K

551.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$78.3 PKR 21.7K

703.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$250 PKR 69.3K

533.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$139 PKR 38.4K

762.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$1,070 PKR 296.0K

434.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$494 PKR 136.8K

698.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-50.38%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Skardu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Skardu

$78 18.4% 87.6% $551

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Skardu

$90 21.2% 65.5% $171

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Skardu

$51 11.9% 77.6% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Skardu

$105 24.6% 52.8% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Skardu

$62 14.5% 63.2% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Skardu

$25 5.9% 72% $64

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Skardu

$15 3.4% 67% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $128 in Skardu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $11.00 in Skardu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $90.0 – making Skardu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇰 Skardu

🕒 Local time

00:38 12:38 AM

03:38 3:38 AM

3 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

260,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Skardu 4,800 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Skardu

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 Skardu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 286%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $638 in Skardu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Skardu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 204% less in Skardu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $47.71 in Skardu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Skardu, where all-in costs run around $426, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Skardu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Skardu – 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 Skardu. 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.