Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Thika

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $518 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
Learn more

Thika Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Thika

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $518 in Thika, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Thika $518

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $883 in Thika, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Thika $883

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,249 in Thika, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Thika $1,249

Budapest costs about 217% more than Thika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Thika is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$3.52 KES 457

298.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$34.21 KES 4,435

78.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$6.43 KES 834

61.28%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$1.95 KES 253

77.44%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.33 KES 42.15

527.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.61 KES 78.8

190.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.87 KES 243

97.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$2.06 KES 267

84.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$0.73 KES 95.1

58.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.44 KES 56.8

320.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.16 KES 150

106.90%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$1.35 KES 175

195.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$10.81 KES 1,402

5.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$6.58 KES 853

4.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$4.12 KES 534

251.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.57 KES 204

19.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$0.64 KES 82.5

234.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$0.80 KES 104

187.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$1.10 KES 143

267.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.41 KES 52.9

148.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.44 KES 56.8

125.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.69 KES 89.5

128.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.37 KES 48.31

89.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$2.71 KES 352

196.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$5.71 KES 740

8.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.78 KES 230

-30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.90 KES 246

8.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$1.56 KES 202

119.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.96 KES 125

38.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$2.82 KES 366

625.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.41 KES 183

36.88%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$21.7K KES 2.8M

34.51%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$20.0K KES 2.6M

73.71%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$34.37 KES 4,456

407.97%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$14.94 KES 1,936

58.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$35.20 KES 4,564

-32.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$46.96 KES 6,088

46.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$7.63 KES 990

35.12%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$53.7 KES 6,956

897.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$3,537 KES 458.6K

376.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$27.81 KES 3,605

259.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$29.36 KES 3,806

47.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$69.9 KES 9,061

59.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$19.37 KES 2,512

514.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$98.7 KES 12.8K

742.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$57.5 KES 7,450

995.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$273 KES 35.3K

482.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$178 KES 23.0K

574.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$610 KES 79.1K

836.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

14.71

-56.15%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Thika: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Thika

$57 11.1% 90.9% $572

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Thika

$153 29.6% 41.4% $108

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Thika

$88 17% 61.1% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Thika

$85 16.3% 61.9% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Thika

$66 12.7% 60.8% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Thika

$62 12% 30.4% $27

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Thika

$6.4 * 1.2% 85.5% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $98.7 in Thika. 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 $34.00 in Thika. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $153 – making Thika the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇪 Thika

🕒 Local time

22:43 10:43 PM

23:43 11:43 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

83,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Thika 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Thika

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 Thika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 217%, 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 $777 in Thika. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thika, 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 $61.0 in Budapest and $34.00 in Thika. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 71% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Thika, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Thika it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Thika – 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 Thika. 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.