Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cavan and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,462 in Cavan, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Cavan
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Cavan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Cavan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,462

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in Cavan vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Cavan $2,462
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,757 per month in Cavan vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Cavan $3,757
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $5,052 per month in Cavan vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Cavan $5,052
Budapest $3,429

Cavan costs about 52% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cavan and Budapest sit above the global median – Cavan by 82%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.46 €14.64

$13.94 Ft 4,503

18.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.9 €79.1

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

45.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.94 €15.06

$10.19 Ft 3,291

66.24%

Cappuccino

$3.38 €3.01

$3.26 Ft 1,055

3.68%

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

$3.26 €2.90

$2.14 Ft 690

52.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.78 Ft 577

10.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 €5.44

$3.71 Ft 1,198

64.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.70 €5.96

$3.77 Ft 1,217

77.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.15 Ft 371

4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.79 Ft 578

22.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 €1.40

$2.49 Ft 804

-36.55%

Eggs

$4.29 €3.82

$3.90 Ft 1,261

10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.36 €11.88

$11.10 Ft 3,587

20.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.58 €13.86

$6.62 Ft 2,139

135.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.23 €9.10

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-30.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.62 €5.00

$1.83 Ft 591

207.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.05 Ft 661

31.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.85 €6.09

$2.37 Ft 765

189.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 €4.24

$3.90 Ft 1,260

22.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$0.99 Ft 320

178.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.00 Ft 322

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.58 Ft 511

-23.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.67 Ft 216

64.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.22 €16.21

$7.96 Ft 2,572

128.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.32 €11.85

$6.22 Ft 2,009

114.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.05

$1.27 Ft 411

259.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.08

$2.03 Ft 654

181.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$311 €277

$28.02 Ft 9,053

1010.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 €5.10

$3.31 Ft 1,070

73.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.38 €10.12

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-42.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.82 Ft 589

13.19%

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

$37.3K €33.1K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

25.04%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

6.45%

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

$241 €214

$171 Ft 55.3K

40.60%

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

$22.48 €20.00

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-4.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.06 €42.75

$23.29 Ft 7,526

106.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$113 €100

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

67.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.42 €29.73

$18.89 Ft 6,104

76.92%

Cinema Ticket

$22.14 €19.69

$9.30 Ft 3,004

138.06%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 €80.4

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-9.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.24 €25.12

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-35.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 €79.3

$110 Ft 35.7K

-19.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.06 €30.29

$119 Ft 38.4K

-71.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,034

$830 Ft 268.3K

40.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$889 €791

$622 Ft 200.9K

42.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,848

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

30.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 €1,412

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

35.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,996 €2,665

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

81.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

6.45

-37.21%

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

Last update for Cavan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cavan

$889 36.1%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 30.1% $267

Groceries & Markets

Cavan

$391 15.9%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 34% $133

Getting Around

Cavan

$317 * 12.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 86% $273

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cavan

$311 12.6%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 30% $93

Eating Out

Cavan

$288 11.7%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 22.6% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Cavan

$157 6.4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 45.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Cavan

$109 4.4%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 54% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,163 in Cavan 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 81% higher in Cavan, 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 $89.0 in Cavan versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $391 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Cavan

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

14:30 2:30 PM

1 h ahead of Cavan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,000

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 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

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Between locations

Cavan Budapest 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Cavan
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

Cavan vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cavan is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,693 per month in Cavan 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 1010% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Cavan, 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 $1,619, than in Cavan at $2,462. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cavan 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, Cavan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.