Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlow and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,548 in Carlow, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Carlow
Learn more

Carlow Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Carlow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,548

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,548 per month in Carlow vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Carlow $2,548
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $3,814 per month in Carlow vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Carlow $3,814
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $5,081 per month in Carlow vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Carlow $5,081
Budapest $3,483

Carlow costs about 55% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Carlow and Budapest sit above the global median – Carlow by 88%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.01 €18.69

$14.04 Ft 4,536

49.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €80.7

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

48.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.10 €11.65

$10.37 Ft 3,351

26.33%

Cappuccino

$4.25 €3.78

$3.46 Ft 1,117

22.83%

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

$2.67 €2.37

$2.07 Ft 669

28.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.77 Ft 572

25.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.59

$3.69 Ft 1,191

100.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 €5.82

$3.80 Ft 1,229

72.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.16 Ft 374

41.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.85 Ft 598

7.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 €1.69

$2.40 Ft 776

-20.42%

Eggs

$4.35 €3.87

$3.99 Ft 1,289

9.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.47 €11.98

$11.40 Ft 3,683

18.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.81 €11.39

$6.87 Ft 2,221

86.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 €12.84

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-0.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

$1.88 Ft 607

69.68%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$2.14 Ft 693

40.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 €2.96

$2.30 Ft 744

44.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 €2.92

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-18.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.02 Ft 329

132.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$0.99 Ft 320

77.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.58 Ft 510

-8.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.70 Ft 225

90.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.84 €16.76

$8.03 Ft 2,594

134.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.53 €12.04

$6.18 Ft 1,997

118.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$1.24 Ft 401

244.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.06 Ft 666

66.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.59 Ft 513

-21.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 €4.55

$3.43 Ft 1,110

48.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.33 Ft 431

15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.43 €28.85

$20.45 Ft 6,607

58.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.93 Ft 624

8.29%

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

$38.6K €34.4K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

32.59%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

9.76%

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

$243 €216

$175 Ft 56.4K

39.14%

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

$22.26 €19.80

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-5.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.4 €50.2

$23.60 Ft 7,625

138.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.8 €70.1

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

14.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.1 €49.93

$19.26 Ft 6,224

191.43%

Cinema Ticket

$13.59 €12.09

$10.31 Ft 3,333

31.81%

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

$1,052 €936

$535 Ft 172.9K

96.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,449 €4,847

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-67.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €84.8

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-4.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.63 €37.92

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-1.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$112 Ft 36.1K

-9.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €90.3

$119 Ft 38.4K

-14.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 €1,282

$832 Ft 268.8K

73.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,121

$629 Ft 203.3K

100.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,596 €2,310

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

63.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 €1,914

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

79.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,664 €5,038

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-0.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,675 €5,937

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

69.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,351 €2,091

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

37.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-37.98%

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

Last update for Carlow: October 18, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carlow

$1.3K 49.5%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 50.1% $631

Groceries & Markets

Carlow

$361 14.2%

Budapest

$262 16% 27.4% $99

Eating Out

Carlow

$328 12.9%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 31% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carlow

$322 12.6%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 31% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Carlow

$153 6%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 9.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Carlow

$106 4.2%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 15.6% $17

Getting Around

Carlow

$18 * 0.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 147% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,441 in Carlow versus $832 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 37% higher in Carlow, 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 $91.0 in Carlow versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $262 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Carlow

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

23:20 11:20 PM

1 h ahead of Carlow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,351

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Carlow Budapest 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Carlow
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

Carlow vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Carlow is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,822 per month in Carlow and $2,461 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Carlow and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Carlow, 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 $1,641, than in Carlow at $2,548. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Carlow 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, Carlow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.