Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Centurion and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Centurion: $1,369 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,369

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,369 per month in Centurion vs $1,647 in Budapest, rent included.

Centurion $1,369
Budapest $1,647

A couple spends around $2,217 per month in Centurion vs $2,567 in Budapest, rent included.

Centurion $2,217
Budapest $2,567

A family of three spends $3,065 per month in Centurion vs $3,488 in Budapest, rent included.

Centurion $3,065
Budapest $3,488

Centurion is about 17% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.89 R 359

$13.63 Ft 4,407

60.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.08 R 657

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

-33.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.78 R 94.6

$10.02 Ft 3,239

-42.32%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R 41.40

$3.33 Ft 1,075

-24.02%

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

$0.99 R 16.28

$2.12 Ft 684

-53.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.18

$1.80 Ft 581

-51.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R 40.47

$3.61 Ft 1,166

-31.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 R 51.5

$3.59 Ft 1,160

-12.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 R 19.94

$1.12 Ft 361

8.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.78

$1.93 Ft 623

-37.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.72

$2.49 Ft 804

-14.86%

Eggs

$2.97 R 48.73

$3.94 Ft 1,275

-24.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 R 158

$11.28 Ft 3,646

-14.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 R 109

$6.73 Ft 2,177

-0.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.24 R 119

$14.44 Ft 4,670

-49.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.10

$1.86 Ft 601

-1.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.20

$2.04 Ft 658

-12.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.75

$2.29 Ft 740

-4.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 R 34.38

$3.99 Ft 1,290

-47.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.66

$0.94 Ft 304

67.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.18

$1.02 Ft 330

74.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 R 22.22

$1.65 Ft 534

-17.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 R 23.92

$0.68 Ft 221

114.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 R 61.8

$7.81 Ft 2,526

-51.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.94 R 97.4

$6.02 Ft 1,946

-1.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 R 27.10

$1.29 Ft 418

27.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 R 33.52

$2.02 Ft 655

1.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 R 40.25

$1.50 Ft 484

64.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.5 R 1,597

$27.13 Ft 8,769

259.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R 19.26

$3.36 Ft 1,085

-64.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 R 19.88

$1.37 Ft 444

-11.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 R 147

$19.96 Ft 6,451

-55.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 R 24.69

$1.86 Ft 603

-18.82%

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

$36.0K R 590.2K

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

26.33%

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

$32.0K R 524.1K

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

-4.16%

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

$139 R 2,283

$178 Ft 57.6K

-21.78%

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

$30.87 R 506

$23.58 Ft 7,623

30.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.62 R 649

$24.12 Ft 7,797

64.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 R 702

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

-38.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,505

Cinema Ticket

$10.67 R 175

$10.48 Ft 3,388

1.81%

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

$305 R 5,003

$625 Ft 202.1K

-51.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,335 R 71.0K

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

-77.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 R 946

$102 Ft 33.0K

-43.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.61 R 731

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

2.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,940

$110 Ft 35.5K

7.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$121 Ft 39.0K

-16.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 R 5,699

$845 Ft 273.3K

-58.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 R 5,959

$638 Ft 206.4K

-43.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$563 R 9,232

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

-64.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$899 R 14.7K

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

-26.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$518 R 8,492

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

-90.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$617 R 10.1K

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

-84.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,376 R 38.9K

$1,724 Ft 557.5K

37.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

6.34

65.62%

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

Last update for Centurion: November 2, 2026

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Centurion

$364 26.6%

Budapest

$638 38.8% 75.5% $275

Eating Out

Centurion

$249 18.2%

Budapest

$220 13.4% 11.6% $29

Groceries & Markets

Centurion

$223 16.3%

Budapest

$260 15.8% 16.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Centurion

$210 15.3%

Budapest

$226 13.7% 7.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Centurion

$145 10.6%

Budapest

$169 10.3% 16.9% $25

Getting Around

Centurion

$115 8.4%

Budapest

$43 2.6% 62.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Centurion

$64 4.7%

Budapest

$91 5.5% 41.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $348 in Centurion versus $845 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 38% higher in Centurion, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Centurion versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $260 – making Centurion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Centurion

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

20:46 8:46 PM

19:46 7:46 PM

1 h behind Centurion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,580

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

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Between locations

Centurion Budapest 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Centurion
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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

Centurion vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,054 per month in Centurion and $2,471 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Centurion, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $348 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $305 per month in Centurion and $625 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,369 in Centurion and $1,647 in Budapest. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Centurion – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.