Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Somerset West

For one person, living is cheaper in Somerset West: $1,201 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Somerset West

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $1,201 in Somerset West, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Somerset West $1,201

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $1,916 in Somerset West, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Somerset West $1,916

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $2,630 in Somerset West, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Somerset West $2,630

Budapest costs about 37% more than Somerset West, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Somerset West is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$11.36 R 187

19.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$41.69 R 687

45.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$5.32 R 87.7

88.35%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$2.10 R 34.54

58.57%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$1.02 R 16.79

107.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.89 R 14.75

102.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$2.65 R 43.61

36.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$3.63 R 59.8

-1.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$0.95 R 15.60

17.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.96 R 15.85

101.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$1.94 R 31.96

28.35%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$2.35 R 38.75

67.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$8.48 R 140

33.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$5.51 R 90.7

22.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$8.82 R 145

63.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.82 R 30.00

2.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$1.96 R 32.33

4.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$1.57 R 25.84

45.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$1.72 R 28.37

131.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$1.50 R 24.65

-37.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$1.47 R 24.23

-30.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$1.30 R 21.40

26.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$1.05 R 17.26

-35.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,533

$3.49 R 57.4

123.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$6.04 R 99.5

-0.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.39 R 22.86

-7.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$1.69 R 27.82

19.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 485

$2.05 R 33.79

-26.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,792

$61.1 R 1,007

-55.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,088

$0.92 R 15.22

265.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$0.86 R 14.16

59.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$5.09 R 83.8

292.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.44 R 23.67

29.17%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$28.5K R 469.4K

0.10%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$28.8K R 474.0K

16.05%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$87.5 R 1,442

103.62%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$26.28 R 433

-10.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$40.44 R 666

-40.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.6K

$45.25 R 746

53.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,520

$8.50 R 140

100.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,397

$7.09 R 117

47.81%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$267 R 4,402

134.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$4,148 R 68.4K

373.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$47.75 R 787

113.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$31.71 R 523

36.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$103 R 1,691

7.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$58.6 R 965

106.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 274.0K

$651 R 10.7K

29.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.9K

$446 R 7,346

43.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 521.5K

$1,366 R 22.5K

17.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 394.5K

$931 R 15.3K

30.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$1,390 R 22.9K

299.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$1,092 R 18.0K

256.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 559.0K

$1,462 R 24.1K

17.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

10.06

-36.98%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Somerset West: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Somerset West

$446 37.1% 30.2% $193

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Somerset West

$199 16.6% 23.4% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Somerset West

$154 12.8% 31.7% $72

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Somerset West

$160 13.3% 27.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Somerset West

$108 9% 36% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Somerset West

$59 5% 34.4% $31

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Somerset West

$75 6.2% 71.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $651 in Somerset West. 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 18% 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 $42 in Somerset West. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $199 – making Somerset West the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

11:32 11:32 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

55,166

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Budapest Somerset West 9,070 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Somerset West

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 Somerset West: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $1,802 in Somerset West. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Somerset West, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $651 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Budapest and $267 in Somerset West. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,647 in Budapest and $1,201 in Somerset West, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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