Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elad and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,620 in Elad, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Elad
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Elad Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Elad

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,620

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,620 per month in Elad vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Elad $2,620
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,801 per month in Elad vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Elad $3,801
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,981 per month in Elad vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Elad $4,981
Budapest $3,429

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

Both Elad and Budapest sit above the global median – Elad by 94%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.51 ₪70.0

$13.94 Ft 4,503

61.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.6 ₪300

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

57.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.45 ₪63.6

$10.19 Ft 3,291

100.69%

Cappuccino

$5.09 ₪15.84

$3.26 Ft 1,055

56.13%

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

$3.09 ₪9.62

$2.14 Ft 690

44.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₪7.19

$1.78 Ft 577

29.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.93 ₪34.02

$3.71 Ft 1,198

194.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.00 ₪31.11

$3.77 Ft 1,217

165.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₪7.01

$1.15 Ft 371

95.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 ₪7.21

$1.79 Ft 578

29.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 ₪7.33

$2.49 Ft 804

-5.22%

Eggs

$5.06 ₪15.76

$3.90 Ft 1,261

29.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.21 ₪66.0

$11.10 Ft 3,587

91.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.98 ₪40.39

$6.62 Ft 2,139

96.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.12 ₪78.2

$14.69 Ft 4,745

71.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 ₪13.42

$1.83 Ft 591

135.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.74 ₪11.63

$2.05 Ft 661

82.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 ₪7.56

$2.37 Ft 765

2.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ₪10.45

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-13.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 ₪5.30

$0.99 Ft 320

71.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 ₪4.44

$1.00 Ft 322

43.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 ₪8.23

$1.58 Ft 511

67.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₪2.95

$0.67 Ft 216

41.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.96 ₪43.44

$7.96 Ft 2,572

75.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 ₪33.93

$6.22 Ft 2,009

75.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₪8.88

$1.27 Ft 411

124.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₪7.60

$2.03 Ft 654

20.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.51 ₪7.81

$1.52 Ft 490

65.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.5 ₪310

$28.02 Ft 9,053

255.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 ₪8.23

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-19.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 ₪3.53

$1.37 Ft 442

-16.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.56 ₪60.9

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-1.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.65 ₪8.24

$1.82 Ft 589

45.60%

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

$56.2K ₪174.8K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

88.57%

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

$56.8K ₪176.6K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

67.90%

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

$258 ₪804

$171 Ft 55.3K

51.06%

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

$11.09 ₪34.50

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-52.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.91 ₪109

$23.29 Ft 7,526

49.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.7 ₪242

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

15.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$13.09 ₪40.73

$9.30 Ft 3,004

40.75%

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

$1,145 ₪3,561

$533 Ft 172.3K

114.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K ₪76.8K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

47.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.48 ₪117

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-62.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.38 ₪126

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-7.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 ₪298

$110 Ft 35.7K

-13.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ₪359

$119 Ft 38.4K

-2.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 ₪4,518

$830 Ft 268.3K

74.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 ₪3,559

$622 Ft 200.9K

83.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,312 ₪7,192

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

45.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 ₪5,179

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

42.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,405 ₪26.1K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

44.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,743 ₪27.2K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

124.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.03

6.45

-22.02%

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

Last update for Elad: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elad

$1.1K 43.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 45.6% $522

Groceries & Markets

Elad

$421 16.1%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 38.7% $163

Eating Out

Elad

$399 15.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 44.1% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elad

$304 11.6%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 28.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Elad

$130 5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 28.8% $38

Getting Around

Elad

$118 4.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 62.5% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Elad

$104 4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 17.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,452 in Elad 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97.0 in Elad versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $421 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Elad

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

23:42 11:42 PM

22:42 10:42 PM

1 h behind Elad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,033

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

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Between locations

Elad Budapest 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Elad
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

Elad vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,930 per month in Elad 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.

Public transport costs about 255% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,145 per month in Elad and $533 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 $1,619, than in Elad at $2,620. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Elad 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, Elad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.