Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,625 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,625

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,625 per month in Edinburgh vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,625
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,915 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,915
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,205 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,205
Budapest $3,489

Edinburgh costs about 62% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Budapest sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 96%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.18 £18.28

$13.99 Ft 4,555

72.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 £80.0

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

75.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.45 £7.90

$9.96 Ft 3,244

4.92%

Cappuccino

$5.24 £3.96

$3.38 Ft 1,102

55.03%

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

$2.48 £1.88

$2.13 Ft 693

16.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 £1.63

$1.87 Ft 609

15.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 £6.01

$3.75 Ft 1,222

112.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.09 £6.12

$3.57 Ft 1,163

126.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.13 Ft 369

50.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 £1.77

$1.84 Ft 600

27.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 £1.76

$2.39 Ft 777

-2.51%

Eggs

$5.17 £3.91

$3.83 Ft 1,246

34.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 £7.05

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-17.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 £7.12

$6.74 Ft 2,194

39.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.77 £11.92

$14.69 Ft 4,784

7.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 £2.32

$1.84 Ft 598

66.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 £1.48

$2.01 Ft 654

-2.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 £2.53

$2.36 Ft 767

41.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 £2.73

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-4.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.52

$0.96 Ft 314

109.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 £1.15

$1.03 Ft 335

47.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 £0.96

$1.56 Ft 509

-18.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.39

$0.66 Ft 216

177.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.49 £17.76

$7.96 Ft 2,594

195.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.05 £8.35

$6.01 Ft 1,956

83.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.44

$1.30 Ft 422

148.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 £2.43

$2.08 Ft 677

54.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.10 £2.34

$1.50 Ft 490

106.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.8 £72.4

$27.61 Ft 8,991

246.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 £3.95

$3.30 Ft 1,075

58.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 £1.43

$1.30 Ft 424

45.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.39 £21.46

$19.78 Ft 6,442

43.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.57

$1.81 Ft 591

14.36%

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

$37.9K £28.6K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

29.09%

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

$39.7K £30.0K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

16.42%

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

$324 £245

$170 Ft 55.3K

90.91%

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

$16.36 £12.37

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-31.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.61

$23.42 Ft 7,628

84.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.93 £33.96

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-32.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.12 £17.48

$19.18 Ft 6,245

20.54%

Cinema Ticket

$14.35 £10.85

$9.52 Ft 3,101

50.74%

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

$1,783 £1,348

$537 Ft 174.8K

232.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.1K £19.0K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

51.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.8 £61.8

$101 Ft 33.0K

-19.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.85 £37.68

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

15.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £81.0

$113 Ft 36.7K

-4.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 £88.8

$119 Ft 38.7K

-1.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,623 £1,227

$805 Ft 262.2K

101.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 £892

$629 Ft 204.9K

87.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,741 £2,072

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

76.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,084 £1,576

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

78.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,661 £5,035

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

18.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,622 £3,493

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

16.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,603 £2,724

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

121.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

6.43

-25.82%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: 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

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.1%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 46.7% $551

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$384 14.7%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 43.4% $167

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$362 13.9%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 38.1% $138

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$332 12.7%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 22.4% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$160 6.1%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 5.5% $8.8

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$123 4.7%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 64.6% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$74 2.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 15.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,623 in Edinburgh 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 122% higher in Edinburgh, 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 $106 in Edinburgh versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:53 5:53 AM

06:53 6:53 AM

1 h ahead of Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

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 = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Edinburgh Budapest 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
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

Edinburgh vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,937 per month in Edinburgh 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 247% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,783 per month in Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh at $2,625. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh 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, Edinburgh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.