Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and St. Andrews

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,255 in St. Andrews, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
110

Cost of Living Index in St. Andrews
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St. Andrews Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

St. Andrews

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in St. Andrews

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $2,255 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
St. Andrews $2,255

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $3,874 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
St. Andrews $3,874

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $5,492 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
St. Andrews $5,492

Budapest is about 28% cheaper than St. Andrews, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and St. Andrews sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, St. Andrews by 68%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$21.47 £16.22

-34.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$84.5 £63.9

-28.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$10.62 £8.03

-6.21%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$4.67 £3.53

-27.62%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$2.81 £2.13

-24.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$2.15 £1.63

-13.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$6.51 £4.92

-42.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$6.59 £4.98

-45.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.57 £1.19

-28.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.74 £1.31

5.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.02 £1.52

18.32%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$4.45 £3.37

-13.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$7.40 £5.59

53.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$9.44 £7.13

-28.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$15.43 £11.66

-4.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$2.44 £1.85

-24.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.32 £1.00

52.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.84 £2.14

-16.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$2.85 £2.15

32.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.76 £1.33

-45.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.49 £1.13

-30.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.25 £0.95

24.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$2.45 £1.85

-73.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$22.65 £17.12

-64.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$10.91 £8.25

-44.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$2.73 £2.06

-52.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$3.01 £2.28

-30.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$4.65 £3.52

-67.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$3.95 £2.98

-16.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$2.44 £1.84

-46.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$24.22 £18.30

-18.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$2.09 £1.58

-13.40%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$37.5K £28.4K

-21.83%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$41.2K £31.2K

-17.26%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$239 £180

-28.84%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$12.98 £9.81

84.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$42.73 £32.29

-45.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$92.2 £69.7

-28.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$13.16 £9.94

-27.66%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$1,773 £1,340

-69.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$23.2K £17.6K

-28.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$94.7 £71.6

7.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$48.10 £36.35

-10.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$104 £78.7

8.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$87.5 £66.1

35.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$1,354 £1,023

-40.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$1,028 £777

-38.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$3,082 £2,329

-49.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$2,706 £2,045

-56.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$6,113 £4,620

-8.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$2,693 £2,035

47.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$3,284 £2,482

-50.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

5.41

18.85%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for St. Andrews: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

St. Andrews

$1K 45.6% 63.4% $399

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

St. Andrews

$305 13.5% 18.2% $47

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

St. Andrews

$325 14.4% 45% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

St. Andrews

$295 13.1% 35.5% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

St. Andrews

$151 6.7% 11% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

St. Andrews

$119 5.3% 39% $33

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

St. Andrews

$35 * 1.5% 20% $8.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $1,354 in St. Andrews. 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 102% higher in St. Andrews, 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $84.0 in St. Andrews. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $305 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇧 St. Andrews

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

02:08 2:08 AM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

16,460

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Budapest St. Andrews 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
St. Andrews

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 St. Andrews: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Andrews is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $3,383 in St. Andrews. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest and $84.0 in St. Andrews. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in St. Andrews, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in St. Andrews at $2,255. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Andrews 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, St. Andrews makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.