Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,398 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,398

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cambridge and in Budapest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cambridge and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,398 per month in Cambridge vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Cambridge $2,398
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,402 per month in Cambridge vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Cambridge $3,402
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,406 per month in Cambridge vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Cambridge $4,406
Budapest $3,429

Cambridge costs about 48% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cambridge and Budapest sit above the global median – Cambridge by 78%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.45

$13.94 Ft 4,503

24.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 CA$78.9

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-8.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 CA$14.07

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-2.26%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$4.96

$3.26 Ft 1,055

7.67%

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

$1.98 CA$2.79

$2.14 Ft 690

-7.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 CA$1.86

$1.78 Ft 577

-25.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 CA$7.22

$3.71 Ft 1,198

37.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.24 CA$8.82

$3.77 Ft 1,217

65.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 CA$2.91

$1.15 Ft 371

79.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 CA$3.36

$1.79 Ft 578

32.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 CA$4.36

$2.49 Ft 804

24.10%

Eggs

$3.20 CA$4.53

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-17.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 CA$15.33

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-2.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.02

$6.62 Ft 2,139

71.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.30 CA$20.22

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-2.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$1.83 Ft 591

115.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 CA$1.67

$2.05 Ft 661

-42.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.66

$2.37 Ft 765

68.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-5.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$0.99 Ft 320

163.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 CA$2.79

$1.00 Ft 322

98.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 CA$2.88

$1.58 Ft 511

29.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$2.00

$0.67 Ft 216

110.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.82 CA$18.13

$7.96 Ft 2,572

61.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.20 CA$17.25

$6.22 Ft 2,009

96.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.63

$1.27 Ft 411

102.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 CA$5.44

$2.03 Ft 654

89.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.44

$1.52 Ft 490

60.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 CA$90.3

$28.02 Ft 9,053

128.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-26.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 CA$2.52

$1.37 Ft 442

29.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.60 CA$31.95

$19.83 Ft 6,406

13.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.63

$1.82 Ft 589

-36.26%

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

$25.8K CA$36.5K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-13.27%

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

$18.5K CA$26.2K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-45.20%

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

$149 CA$211

$171 Ft 55.3K

-12.95%

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

$42.05 CA$59.5

$23.51 Ft 7,596

78.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.52 CA$70.0

$23.29 Ft 7,526

112.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.59 CA$40.42

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-57.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$10.28 CA$14.53

$9.30 Ft 3,004

10.54%

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

$528 CA$746

$533 Ft 172.3K

-1.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.8K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-3.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 CA$76.7

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-45.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.82 CA$42.16

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-31.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 CA$105

$110 Ft 35.7K

-32.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$146

$119 Ft 38.4K

-13.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 CA$1,845

$830 Ft 268.3K

57.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 CA$1,837

$622 Ft 200.9K

108.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,509 CA$3,547

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

57.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 CA$2,812

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

69.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,236 CA$5,989

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-27.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,850 CA$5,443

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-0.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,938 CA$4,153

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

77.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

6.45

-21.09%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.3K 54.2%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 52.1% $677

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$345 14.4%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 25.2% $87

Eating Out

Cambridge

$262 10.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 14.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$241 10%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 9.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$118 4.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 42.4% $50

Getting Around

Cambridge

$85 3.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 47.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$49 2.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 75.2% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,305 in Cambridge versus $830 in Budapest. 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 78% higher in Cambridge, 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 $56.0 in Cambridge versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $345 in Cambridge vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

00:09 12:09 AM

6 h ahead of Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,479

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Cambridge Budapest 7,200 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Cambridge vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cambridge is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,597 per month in Cambridge and $2,428 in Budapest. 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 128% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $528 per month in Cambridge and $533 in Budapest. 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 Cambridge at $2,398. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cambridge 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, Cambridge makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.