Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Swords

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,638 a month against $2,598 in Swords, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Swords
Learn more

Swords Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Swords

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Swords

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $2,598 in Swords, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Swords $2,598

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $3,804 in Swords, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Swords $3,804

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $5,010 in Swords, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Swords $5,010

Budapest is about 37% cheaper than Swords, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Swords sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Swords by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,548

$22.16 €19.91

-37.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

$98.6 €88.6

-37.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,345

$13.20 €11.86

-23.03%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,061

$4.93 €4.43

-34.69%

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

$2.06 Ft 679

$2.98 €2.68

-30.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 604

$2.16 €1.94

-15.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,187

$8.03 €7.21

-55.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,207

$6.74 €6.05

-45.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.58 €1.42

-24.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 616

$2.35 €2.11

-20.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 779

$2.03 €1.83

16.75%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,304

$4.24 €3.81

-6.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,677

$9.89 €8.89

12.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,226

$10.86 €9.76

-37.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,727

$13.29 €11.94

7.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 595

$2.75 €2.47

-34.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$2.27 €2.04

-7.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 769

$2.79 €2.51

-16.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,253

$4.17 €3.75

-8.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$1.87 €1.68

-47.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$1.47 €1.33

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 511

$1.30 €1.16

19.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 229

$1.90 €1.70

-63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,567

$20.52 €18.44

-62.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,993

$13.39 €12.03

-54.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$3.35 €3.01

-61.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 671

$3.45 €3.10

-40.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$2.26 €2.03

-31.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,987

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,086

$5.00 €4.49

-34.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$1.47 €1.32

-10.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,673

$37.35 €33.55

-45.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 599

$2.16 €1.94

-15.74%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$38.6K €34.7K

-25.55%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$38.0K €34.1K

-12.93%

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

$172 Ft 56.7K

$246 €221

-30.10%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,890

$18.68 €16.78

28.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,679

$51.2 €45.97

-54.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$40.58 €36.46

69.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,229

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,353

$13.43 €12.07

-24.20%

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

$600 Ft 197.8K

$1,010 €907

-40.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$5,183 €4,656

223.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$100 €90.0

-1.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

$48.06 €43.18

-10.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$108 €97.1

4.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$113 €101

3.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.4K

$1,556 €1,398

-46.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.7K

$1,342 €1,206

-52.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

$2,584 €2,322

-38.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

$2,165 €1,945

-44.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$4,721 €4,242

19.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$3,447 €3,097

10.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.68

75.27%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Swords: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Swords

$1.3K 51.7% 110% $702

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Swords

$335 12.9% 29.5% $76

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Swords

$350 13.5% 58.8% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Swords

$316 12.2% 44.1% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Swords

$166 6.4% 0.9% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Swords

$67 2.6% 24.2% $22

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Swords

$21 * 0.8% 50.7% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $1,556 in Swords. 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 in Budapest versus $99 in Swords. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $335 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇪 Swords

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

13:49 1:49 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

40,776

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Swords 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Swords

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 Swords: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Swords is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $3,897 in Swords. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $836 there versus $1,556 in Swords.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $99 in Swords. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Swords, 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 $1,638, than in Swords at $2,598. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Swords 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.