Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,734 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

Cost of Living Index in Dublin
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Dublin Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,734

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,734 per month in Dublin vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Dublin $3,734
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $5,273 per month in Dublin vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Dublin $5,273
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $6,811 per month in Dublin vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Dublin $6,811
Budapest $3,489

Dublin costs about 130% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dublin and Budapest sit above the global median – Dublin by 179%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.89 €21.30

$13.99 Ft 4,555

70.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €90.5

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

68.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.15

$9.96 Ft 3,244

36.75%

Cappuccino

$4.90 €4.37

$3.38 Ft 1,102

44.97%

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

$2.88 €2.57

$2.13 Ft 693

35.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.87 Ft 609

15.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.64 €6.82

$3.75 Ft 1,222

103.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.47 €6.66

$3.57 Ft 1,163

109.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.13 Ft 369

48.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.84 Ft 600

32.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.39 Ft 777

-14.23%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.34

$3.83 Ft 1,246

26.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.03 €8.94

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-11.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.98 €11.58

$6.74 Ft 2,194

92.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.31 €14.54

$14.69 Ft 4,784

11.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$1.84 Ft 598

54.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.01 Ft 654

8.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.36 Ft 767

13.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 €4.81

$3.77 Ft 1,227

42.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.96 Ft 314

93.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.03 Ft 335

45.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.56 Ft 509

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.66 Ft 216

207.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.45 €19.13

$7.96 Ft 2,594

169.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 €12.22

$6.01 Ft 1,956

127.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 €2.98

$1.30 Ft 422

156.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.19

$2.08 Ft 677

72.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.50 Ft 490

52.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 €94.8

$27.61 Ft 8,991

285.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 €4.72

$3.30 Ft 1,075

60.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.30 Ft 424

19.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.18 €33.15

$19.78 Ft 6,442

87.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.81 Ft 591

19.34%

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

$39.0K €34.8K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

32.99%

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

$39.6K €35.3K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

16.13%

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

$276 €246

$170 Ft 55.3K

62.15%

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

$18.01 €16.06

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-24.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 €46.38

$23.42 Ft 7,628

122.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 €61.4

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

3.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.99 €18.71

$19.18 Ft 6,245

9.44%

Cinema Ticket

$16.00 €14.27

$9.52 Ft 3,101

68.07%

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

$1,296 €1,155

$537 Ft 174.8K

141.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K €12.7K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-14.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.5

$101 Ft 33.0K

5.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 €44.73

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

16.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$113 Ft 36.7K

-0.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$119 Ft 38.7K

11.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,465 €2,197

$805 Ft 262.2K

206.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,179 €1,943

$629 Ft 204.9K

246.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,492 €4,005

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

189.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,520 €3,139

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

201.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,511 €8,480

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

69.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,656 €5,043

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

42.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,795 €3,384

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

133.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

6.43

-40.59%

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

Last update for Dublin: 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

Dublin

$2.2K 59.4%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 71.1% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Dublin

$367 10%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 29.8% $109

Eating Out

Dublin

$364 9.9%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 38.4% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dublin

$346 9.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 37.1% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Dublin

$181 4.9%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 6.5% $12

Getting Around

Dublin

$129 3.5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 66.2% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Dublin

$101 2.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 15.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,465 in Dublin 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 133% higher in Dublin, 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 $102 in Dublin versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $367 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dublin

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:53 5:53 AM

06:53 6:53 AM

1 h ahead of Dublin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

588,233 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dublin Budapest 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dublin
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

Dublin vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dublin is pricier by about 130%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,601 per month in Dublin 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 285% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,296 per month in Dublin 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 Dublin at $3,734. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dublin 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, Dublin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.