Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dun Laoghaire and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,761 in Dun Laoghaire, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Dun Laoghaire
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Dun Laoghaire Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Dun Laoghaire

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,761

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,761 per month in Dun Laoghaire vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Dun Laoghaire $2,761
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $4,416 per month in Dun Laoghaire vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Dun Laoghaire $4,416
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $6,071 per month in Dun Laoghaire vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Dun Laoghaire $6,071
Budapest $3,429

Dun Laoghaire costs about 71% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dun Laoghaire and Budapest sit above the global median – Dun Laoghaire by 105%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.06 €19.62

$13.94 Ft 4,503

58.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €90.3

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

65.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.00

$10.19 Ft 3,291

32.38%

Cappuccino

$4.97 €4.42

$3.26 Ft 1,055

52.45%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$2.14 Ft 690

39.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.78 Ft 577

25.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 €6.93

$3.71 Ft 1,198

109.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 €6.68

$3.77 Ft 1,217

99.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.15 Ft 371

40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.79 Ft 578

31.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.49 Ft 804

-16.87%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.74

$3.90 Ft 1,261

7.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 €8.85

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-10.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.07 €9.85

$6.62 Ft 2,139

67.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.54 €12.04

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-7.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.83 Ft 591

54.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.05 Ft 661

4.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 €2.47

$2.37 Ft 765

17.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 €3.59

$3.90 Ft 1,260

3.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 €1.71

$0.99 Ft 320

94.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.00 Ft 322

53.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.58 Ft 511

-17.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.67 Ft 216

174.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.35 €18.10

$7.96 Ft 2,572

155.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.51 €12.01

$6.22 Ft 2,009

117.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.95

$1.27 Ft 411

161.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 €3.12

$2.03 Ft 654

72.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.52 Ft 490

51.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 €4.52

$3.31 Ft 1,070

53.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.37 Ft 442

4.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.78 €33.60

$19.83 Ft 6,406

90.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.82 Ft 589

17.03%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

28.62%

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

10.63%

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

$244 €217

$171 Ft 55.3K

42.71%

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

$18.03 €16.03

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-23.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.51

$23.29 Ft 7,526

119.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 €51.9

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-13.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 €13.68

$9.30 Ft 3,004

65.38%

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

$989 €880

$533 Ft 172.3K

85.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,432 €4,831

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-67.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.0

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-0.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.48 €42.23

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

9.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.2

$110 Ft 35.7K

1.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €116

$119 Ft 38.4K

9.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 €1,307

$830 Ft 268.3K

76.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 €1,312

$622 Ft 200.9K

137.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,599 €3,201

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

125.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,146 €2,798

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

168.85%

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)

$4,296 €3,821

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

160.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

6.45

-40.78%

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

Last update for Dun Laoghaire: 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

Dun Laoghaire

$1.5K 53.4%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 57.8% $853

Eating Out

Dun Laoghaire

$351 12.7%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 36.6% $128

Groceries & Markets

Dun Laoghaire

$336 12.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 23.1% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dun Laoghaire

$313 11.4%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 30.5% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Dun Laoghaire

$175 6.3%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 4.2% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Dun Laoghaire

$89 3.2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 3.3% $3

Getting Around

Dun Laoghaire

$22 * 0.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 106% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,470 in Dun Laoghaire 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 160% higher in Dun Laoghaire, 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 $101 in Dun Laoghaire versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dun Laoghaire

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

06:37 6:37 AM

1 h ahead of Dun Laoghaire

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,761

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 = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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

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Dun Laoghaire
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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

Dun Laoghaire vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dun Laoghaire is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,142 per month in Dun Laoghaire 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Dun Laoghaire 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 30% more in Dun Laoghaire, 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 Dun Laoghaire at $2,761. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dun Laoghaire 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, Dun Laoghaire makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.