Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canberra and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,791 in Canberra, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,791

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Canberra 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 Canberra and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,791 per month in Canberra vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Canberra $2,791
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,958 per month in Canberra vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Canberra $3,958
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,125 per month in Canberra vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Canberra $5,125
Budapest $3,489

Canberra costs about 72% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Canberra and Budapest sit above the global median – Canberra by 108%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.14 A$24.62

$13.99 Ft 4,555

22.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.3 A$127

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

46.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 A$15.09

$9.96 Ft 3,244

5.42%

Cappuccino

$3.94 A$5.66

$3.38 Ft 1,102

16.57%

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

$3.17 A$4.55

$2.13 Ft 693

48.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 A$3.78

$1.87 Ft 609

40.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.32 A$11.95

$3.75 Ft 1,222

121.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.73 A$13.98

$3.57 Ft 1,163

172.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.13 Ft 369

32.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 A$4.62

$1.84 Ft 600

74.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.80

$2.39 Ft 777

10.46%

Eggs

$5.25 A$7.53

$3.83 Ft 1,246

37.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.07 A$18.78

$11.33 Ft 3,689

15.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 A$14.59

$6.74 Ft 2,194

50.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.48 A$22.23

$14.69 Ft 4,784

5.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 A$5.65

$1.84 Ft 598

113.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.44

$2.01 Ft 654

53.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 A$5.16

$2.36 Ft 767

52.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 A$7.31

$3.77 Ft 1,227

35.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.38

$0.96 Ft 314

217.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 A$3.97

$1.03 Ft 335

168.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.53

$1.56 Ft 509

57.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.35

$0.66 Ft 216

148.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.29 A$63.6

$7.96 Ft 2,594

456.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 A$20.36

$6.01 Ft 1,956

135.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.80 A$6.90

$1.30 Ft 422

269.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 A$8.11

$2.08 Ft 677

171.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 A$4.11

$1.50 Ft 490

90.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.0 A$134

$27.61 Ft 8,991

236.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 A$5.70

$3.30 Ft 1,075

20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.30 Ft 424

25.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.39 A$60.9

$19.78 Ft 6,442

114.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.88

$1.81 Ft 591

-27.62%

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

$27.4K A$39.4K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-6.43%

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

$29.3K A$42.1K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-14.14%

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

$179 A$257

$170 Ft 55.3K

5.39%

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

$26.92 A$38.67

$23.98 Ft 7,809

12.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 A$78.8

$23.42 Ft 7,628

134.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.2 A$119

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

25.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.11 A$38.94

$19.18 Ft 6,245

41.35%

Cinema Ticket

$15.51 A$22.28

$9.52 Ft 3,101

62.92%

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

$2,382 A$3,422

$537 Ft 174.8K

343.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K A$28.8K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

20.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 A$110

$101 Ft 33.0K

-24.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 A$79.6

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

28.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$165

$113 Ft 36.7K

1.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$119 Ft 38.7K

11.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,711 A$2,458

$805 Ft 262.2K

112.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,467 A$2,107

$629 Ft 204.9K

133.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,098 A$4,450

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

99.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 A$2,827

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

68.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.2K A$16.0K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

98.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,417 A$10.7K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

86.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,310 A$6,191

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

165.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

6.43

-7.47%

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

Last update for Canberra: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 57.1% $838

Groceries & Markets

Canberra

$401 14.2%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 35.7% $143

Eating Out

Canberra

$300 10.6%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 25.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canberra

$261 9.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 16.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Canberra

$171 6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 0.8% $1.4

Getting Around

Canberra

$117 4.1%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 62.7% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Canberra

$114 4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 25.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,711 in Canberra versus $805 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 165% higher in Canberra, 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 $88.0 in Canberra versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Canberra

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

15:54 3:54 PM

06:54 6:54 AM

9 h behind Canberra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

466,566 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Canberra Budapest 15,720 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Canberra
Budapest

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

Canberra vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Canberra is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,187 per month in Canberra and $2,432 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 237% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,382 per month in Canberra and $537 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 $1,621, than in Canberra at $2,791. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Canberra 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, Canberra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.