Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edmonton and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,202 in Edmonton, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Edmonton
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Edmonton Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,202

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Edmonton vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Edmonton $2,202
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,234 per month in Edmonton vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Edmonton $3,234
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,267 per month in Edmonton vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Edmonton $4,267
Budapest $3,489

Edmonton costs about 36% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Edmonton and Budapest sit above the global median – Edmonton by 64%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.26 CA$27.40

$13.99 Ft 4,555

37.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.9 CA$109

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

27.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 CA$14.25

$9.96 Ft 3,244

0.60%

Cappuccino

$3.88 CA$5.52

$3.38 Ft 1,102

14.79%

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

$2.22 CA$3.16

$2.13 Ft 693

4.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 CA$2.78

$1.87 Ft 609

4.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 CA$8.00

$3.75 Ft 1,222

49.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.30 CA$8.96

$3.57 Ft 1,163

76.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 CA$2.23

$1.13 Ft 369

38.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 CA$3.02

$1.84 Ft 600

15.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 CA$4.27

$2.39 Ft 777

25.52%

Eggs

$3.51 CA$4.99

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-8.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 CA$15.23

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-5.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.26 CA$16.02

$6.74 Ft 2,194

67.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.50 CA$26.31

$14.69 Ft 4,784

25.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 CA$6.05

$1.84 Ft 598

131.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$2.01 Ft 654

-31.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 CA$5.90

$2.36 Ft 767

75.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 CA$5.79

$3.77 Ft 1,227

7.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 CA$3.01

$0.96 Ft 314

120.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.60

$1.03 Ft 335

77.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 CA$3.37

$1.56 Ft 509

51.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.63

$0.66 Ft 216

180.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.83 CA$19.67

$7.96 Ft 2,594

73.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 CA$16.02

$6.01 Ft 1,956

87.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 CA$5.05

$1.30 Ft 422

173.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 CA$4.13

$2.08 Ft 677

39.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 CA$3.84

$1.50 Ft 490

80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 CA$101

$27.61 Ft 8,991

156.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 CA$3.98

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-15.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.30 Ft 424

5.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.34 CA$30.36

$19.78 Ft 6,442

7.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 CA$1.58

$1.81 Ft 591

-38.67%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-4.04%

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

$19.7K CA$28.0K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-42.37%

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

$223 CA$317

$170 Ft 55.3K

31.18%

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

$44.02 CA$62.6

$23.98 Ft 7,809

83.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.2 CA$75.7

$23.42 Ft 7,628

127.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.33 CA$65.9

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-30.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.21 CA$25.90

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-5.06%

Cinema Ticket

$12.91 CA$18.37

$9.52 Ft 3,101

35.61%

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

$762 CA$1,083

$537 Ft 174.8K

41.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,587 CA$13.6K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-42.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.40 CA$61.7

$101 Ft 33.0K

-57.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.36 CA$64.5

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

5.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 CA$119

$113 Ft 36.7K

-26.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.8 CA$138

$119 Ft 38.7K

-18.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 CA$1,545

$805 Ft 262.2K

34.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 CA$1,280

$629 Ft 204.9K

43.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 CA$2,421

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

9.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 CA$2,004

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

20.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,153 CA$3,062

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-61.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,988 CA$2,828

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-49.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,684 CA$5,240

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

126.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.32

6.43

-32.81%

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

Last update for Edmonton: 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

Edmonton

$900 41.8%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 30.1% $271

Groceries & Markets

Edmonton

$361 16.8%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 28.7% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edmonton

$320 14.9%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 32.1% $103

Eating Out

Edmonton

$288 13.4%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 22.2% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Edmonton

$121 5.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 39.8% $48

Getting Around

Edmonton

$91 4.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 52.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Edmonton

$72 3.4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 18.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,086 in Edmonton 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 127% higher in Edmonton, 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 $77.0 in Edmonton versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Edmonton

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

20:46 8:46 PM

04:46 4:46 AM

8 h ahead of Edmonton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,010,899

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 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 CAD in detail →

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Edmonton vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edmonton is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Edmonton 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 156% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $762 per month in Edmonton 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 Edmonton at $2,202. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edmonton 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, Edmonton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.