Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durham and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,073 in Durham, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Durham
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Durham Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Durham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,073

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,073 per month in Durham vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Durham $2,073
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,286 per month in Durham vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Durham $3,286
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,498 per month in Durham vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Durham $4,498
Budapest $3,489

Durham costs about 28% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Durham and Budapest sit above the global median – Durham by 55%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.57 £14.79

$13.99 Ft 4,551

39.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.4 £70.6

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

54.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 £8.61

$9.96 Ft 3,241

14.46%

Cappuccino

$4.56 £3.44

$3.38 Ft 1,100

34.91%

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

$2.54 £1.92

$2.13 Ft 692

19.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.87 Ft 608

9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 £4.59

$3.75 Ft 1,221

62.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 £4.03

$3.57 Ft 1,162

49.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.13 Ft 368

72.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.17

$1.84 Ft 599

-16.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.39 Ft 777

26.78%

Eggs

$4.37 £3.30

$3.83 Ft 1,245

14.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 £7.57

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-11.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 £6.69

$6.74 Ft 2,192

31.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.35 £16.13

$14.69 Ft 4,780

45.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 £2.21

$1.84 Ft 597

59.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 £1.91

$2.01 Ft 653

25.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 £2.08

$2.36 Ft 767

16.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 £3.84

$3.77 Ft 1,226

34.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 £1.18

$0.96 Ft 313

62.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 £1.29

$1.03 Ft 334

65.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 £0.80

$1.56 Ft 509

-32.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.42

$0.66 Ft 216

184.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.61 £17.84

$7.96 Ft 2,591

196.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 £8.04

$6.01 Ft 1,954

77.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.31 £2.50

$1.30 Ft 421

154.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.38

$2.08 Ft 676

51.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 £2.44

$1.50 Ft 489

115.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.9 £65.7

$27.61 Ft 8,982

214.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 £4.83

$3.30 Ft 1,074

93.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 £1.46

$1.30 Ft 424

48.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.68 £17.89

$19.78 Ft 6,436

19.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.42

$1.81 Ft 591

3.87%

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

$37.8K £28.6K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

29.05%

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

$41.1K £31.1K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

20.51%

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

$265 £200

$170 Ft 55.3K

55.66%

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

$15.21 £11.49

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-36.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.95 £32.45

$23.42 Ft 7,621

83.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.78 £35.35

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-29.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$12.51 £9.45

$9.52 Ft 3,098

31.41%

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

$1,300 £982

$537 Ft 174.6K

142.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K £19.1K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

51.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £80.3

$101 Ft 33.0K

4.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 £53.9

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

66.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 £86.1

$113 Ft 36.7K

1.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 £73.5

$119 Ft 38.6K

-18.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,539 £1,163

$805 Ft 262.0K

91.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 £562

$629 Ft 204.7K

18.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,661 £2,011

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

71.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 £1,183

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

34.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,034 £3,804

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-10.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,862 £2,919

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-2.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,064 £1,559

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

26.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.18

6.43

-19.44%

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

Last update for Durham: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durham

$743 35.7%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 15.4% $114

Groceries & Markets

Durham

$348 16.7%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 26% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durham

$323 15.5%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 32.6% $105

Eating Out

Durham

$305 14.6%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 26.4% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Durham

$175 8.4%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 3.3% $5.8

Getting Around

Durham

$116 5.6%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 62.5% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Durham

$72 3.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 18.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,539 in Durham 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 27% higher in Durham, 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 $93.0 in Durham versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Durham

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

1 h ahead of Durham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,100

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

Durham Budapest 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Durham
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

Durham vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durham is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,110 per month in Durham 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 215% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,300 per month in Durham 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 Durham at $2,073. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durham 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, Durham makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.