Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elmina and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
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Elmina Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $668 per month in Elmina vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Elmina $668
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,125 per month in Elmina vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Elmina $1,125
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,582 per month in Elmina vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Elmina $1,582
Budapest $3,429

Elmina is about 59% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Elmina sits 51% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.82 GHS 91.4

$13.94 Ft 4,521

-43.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 GHS 594

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

-16.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 GHS 120

$10.19 Ft 3,304

0.69%

Cappuccino

$4.46 GHS 52.1

$3.26 Ft 1,059

36.81%

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

$1.53 GHS 17.93

$2.14 Ft 693

-28.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 GHS 5.14

$1.78 Ft 579

-75.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 GHS 21.12

$3.71 Ft 1,203

-51.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 GHS 25.29

$3.77 Ft 1,222

-42.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.67 GHS 42.86

$1.15 Ft 372

219.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 GHS 19.45

$1.79 Ft 580

-6.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 GHS 35.78

$2.49 Ft 807

22.89%

Eggs

$2.68 GHS 31.35

$3.90 Ft 1,266

-31.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.03 GHS 141

$11.10 Ft 3,602

8.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 GHS 82.7

$6.62 Ft 2,147

6.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 GHS 112

$14.69 Ft 4,764

-34.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 GHS 42.11

$1.83 Ft 594

97.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 GHS 16.39

$2.05 Ft 664

-31.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 GHS 20.67

$2.37 Ft 769

-25.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 GHS 41.62

$3.90 Ft 1,265

-8.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 GHS 31.42

$0.99 Ft 322

171.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 GHS 30.95

$1.00 Ft 323

165.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 GHS 8.37

$1.58 Ft 513

-54.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 GHS 7.05

$0.67 Ft 217

-10.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 GHS 29.32

$7.96 Ft 2,582

-68.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 GHS 82.5

$6.22 Ft 2,017

13.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 GHS 14.16

$1.27 Ft 413

-4.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 GHS 27.26

$2.03 Ft 657

14.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,089

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 GHS 20.38

$3.31 Ft 1,074

-47.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 GHS 14.72

$1.37 Ft 444

-8.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 GHS 50.2

$19.83 Ft 6,432

-78.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 GHS 15.65

$1.82 Ft 591

-26.37%

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

$7,913 GHS 92.4K

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

-73.44%

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

$9,662 GHS 112.8K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-71.43%

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

$73.7 GHS 861

$171 Ft 55.5K

-56.93%

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

$19.07 GHS 223

$23.51 Ft 7,627

-18.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.25 GHS 494

$23.29 Ft 7,556

81.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,129

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 GHS 148

$9.30 Ft 3,016

36.13%

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

$470 GHS 5,488

$533 Ft 173.0K

-11.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K GHS 217.5K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

11.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.18 GHS 166

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

-85.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.59 GHS 217

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

-57.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.74 GHS 429

$110 Ft 35.8K

-66.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.0 GHS 607

$119 Ft 38.6K

-56.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 516.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.6K

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)

$1,651 Ft 535.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.75

6.45

314.73%

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

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Elmina

$276 41.4%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 6.7% $18

Eating Out

Elmina

$168 25.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 32.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elmina

$135 20.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 61.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Elmina

$55 8.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 207% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Elmina

$25 * 3.8%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 240% $61

Getting Around

Elmina

$8 * 1.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 450% $36

Accommodation & Living

Elmina

- * 0%

Budapest

$622 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Elmina versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $276 in Elmina vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Elmina

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:23 11:23 AM

13:23 1:23 PM

2 h ahead of Elmina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,403

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.56 USD

100 GHS = 7.63 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 11.68 GHS (100 GHS = 8.56 USD). 1 EUR = 13.1 GHS (100 GHS = 7.63 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elmina Budapest 5,100 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Elmina
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

Elmina vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 142%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,001 per month in Elmina and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Elmina and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Elmina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elmina – 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 Elmina. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.