Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darwin and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,070 in Darwin, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
Learn more

Darwin Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,070

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,070 per month in Darwin vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Darwin $3,070
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $4,116 per month in Darwin vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Darwin $4,116
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,163 per month in Darwin vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Darwin $5,163
Budapest $3,489

Darwin costs about 89% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Darwin and Budapest sit above the global median – Darwin by 129%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.53 A$32.37

$13.99 Ft 4,555

61.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.0 A$129

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

49.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 A$15.75

$9.96 Ft 3,244

10.04%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.84

$3.38 Ft 1,102

20.41%

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

$3.31 A$4.76

$2.13 Ft 693

55.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 A$4.44

$1.87 Ft 609

65.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.54 A$10.83

$3.75 Ft 1,222

101.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 A$10.65

$3.57 Ft 1,163

107.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.14

$1.13 Ft 369

31.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.26

$1.84 Ft 600

61.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.13

$2.39 Ft 777

-8.79%

Eggs

$4.35 A$6.25

$3.83 Ft 1,246

13.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 A$12.79

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-21.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.49 A$12.19

$6.74 Ft 2,194

25.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.32

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-36.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 A$5.61

$1.84 Ft 598

112.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.11

$2.01 Ft 654

42.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.03

$2.36 Ft 767

19.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 A$7.40

$3.77 Ft 1,227

36.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.63

$0.96 Ft 314

163.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.48

$1.03 Ft 335

134.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 A$2.97

$1.56 Ft 509

32.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 A$3.04

$0.66 Ft 216

221.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.93 A$63.1

$7.96 Ft 2,594

451.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.81 A$16.97

$6.01 Ft 1,956

96.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$10.12 A$14.53

$1.30 Ft 422

678.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 A$11.24

$2.08 Ft 677

276.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.01 A$69.0

$27.61 Ft 8,991

73.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.34

$3.30 Ft 1,075

12.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 A$1.89

$1.30 Ft 424

1.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.60 A$71.3

$19.78 Ft 6,442

150.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.85

$1.81 Ft 591

-28.73%

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

$31.4K A$45.1K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

7.06%

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

$41.5K A$59.6K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

21.70%

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

$216 A$310

$170 Ft 55.3K

26.94%

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

$33.26 A$47.77

$23.98 Ft 7,809

38.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 A$88.0

$23.42 Ft 7,628

161.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.7 A$115

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

20.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.11 A$40.37

$19.18 Ft 6,245

46.56%

Cinema Ticket

$17.07 A$24.51

$9.52 Ft 3,101

79.31%

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

$1,924 A$2,763

$537 Ft 174.8K

258.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,239 A$11.8K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-50.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.2 A$119

$101 Ft 33.0K

-17.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.11 A$66.2

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

7.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 A$150

$113 Ft 36.7K

-7.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 A$199

$119 Ft 38.7K

16.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 A$2,465

$805 Ft 262.2K

113.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 A$2,399

$629 Ft 204.9K

165.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,712 A$3,895

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

75.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,097

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

84.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,794 A$5,449

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-32.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,538 A$5,081

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-10.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,166 A$5,984

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

156.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.14

6.43

-4.51%

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

Last update for Darwin: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Darwin

$1.7K 55%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 62.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Darwin

$377 12.4%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 31.7% $120

Eating Out

Darwin

$340 11.2%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 34.1% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Darwin

$310 10.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 29.9% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Darwin

$168 5.5%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 0.9% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Darwin

$114 3.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 25.1% $29

Getting Around

Darwin

$58 * 1.9%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 25.5% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,716 in Darwin 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 156% higher in Darwin, 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 $90.0 in Darwin versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $377 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Darwin

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:22 11:22 AM

03:52 3:52 AM

7 h 30 min behind Darwin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,207

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Darwin Budapest 12,660 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Darwin
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

Darwin vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Darwin is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,605 per month in Darwin 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 74% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,924 per month in Darwin 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 Darwin at $3,070. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Darwin 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, Darwin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.