Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and St. Thomas

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
St. Thomas $2,432

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $3,274 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
St. Thomas $3,274

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $4,117 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
St. Thomas $4,117

Budapest is about 33% cheaper than St. Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and St. Thomas sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, St. Thomas by 80%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,525

$21.05 CA$29.92

-33.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$62.6 CA$89.0

-2.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,307

$11.38 CA$16.18

-10.46%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,060

$3.32 CA$4.71

-1.81%

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

$2.14 Ft 694

$2.19 CA$3.12

-2.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$1.59 CA$2.25

11.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$5.02 CA$7.14

-26.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$5.89 CA$8.37

-35.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$2.08 CA$2.96

-44.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$2.61 CA$3.70

-31.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 808

$3.73 CA$5.30

-33.24%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,267

$3.09 CA$4.39

26.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,605

$9.94 CA$14.13

11.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$15.43 CA$21.92

-57.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,769

$19.20 CA$27.29

-23.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$3.86 CA$5.49

-52.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.24 CA$1.76

65.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$3.49 CA$4.97

-32.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$3.97 CA$5.64

-1.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$3.36 CA$4.78

-70.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$3.07 CA$4.36

-67.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 514

$2.85 CA$4.06

-44.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$1.46 CA$2.07

-54.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,585

$10.98 CA$15.61

-27.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,019

$12.74 CA$18.10

-51.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$2.40 CA$3.41

-47.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 658

$2.78 CA$3.95

-26.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$2.25 CA$3.20

-32.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,098

$58.7 CA$83.4

-52.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$2.30 CA$3.27

43.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$1.62 CA$2.30

-15.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,438

$21.70 CA$30.85

-8.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.13 CA$1.60

61.06%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$28.0K CA$39.8K

6.30%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$19.7K CA$28.0K

71.54%

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

$171 Ft 55.6K

$123 CA$175

38.69%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,634

$42.76 CA$60.8

-45.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,563

$55.5 CA$78.8

-58.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$44.43 CA$63.1

51.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,135

$20.32 CA$28.87

-7.04%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,019

$10.33 CA$14.69

-9.97%

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

$533 Ft 173.2K

$399 CA$567

33.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$16.7K CA$23.7K

0.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$53.5 CA$76.1

86.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$35.84 CA$50.9

21.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$82.2 CA$117

34.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$90.6 CA$129

31.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$1,148 CA$1,631

-27.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

$1,267 CA$1,801

-50.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.4K

$1,794 CA$2,550

-11.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 380.0K

$1,470 CA$2,089

-20.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,187 CA$5,951

39.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$3,561 CA$5,061

9.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 536.1K

$2,970 CA$4,221

-44.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.99

29.26%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for St. Thomas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

St. Thomas

$1.3K 52.1% 104% $645

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

St. Thomas

$387 15.9% 50.2% $130

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

St. Thomas

$294 12.1% 32% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

St. Thomas

$222 9.1% 1.7% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

St. Thomas

$118 4.9% 29.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

St. Thomas

$65 2.7% 24.4% $21

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

St. Thomas

$78 3.2% 76.4% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $1,148 in St. Thomas. 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 80% higher in St. Thomas, 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 $63.0 in St. Thomas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $387 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

22:19 10:19 PM

6 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

38,909

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest St. Thomas 7,300 km ≈ 10 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)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs St. Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Thomas is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $3,648 in St. Thomas. 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.

Public transport costs about 109% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $399 in St. Thomas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in St. Thomas at $2,432. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Thomas 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. Thomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.