Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Exeter and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,396 in Exeter, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Exeter
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Exeter Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Exeter

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,396

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,396 per month in Exeter vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Exeter $2,396
Budapest $1,619

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

Exeter $3,801
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $5,206 per month in Exeter vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Exeter $5,206
Budapest $3,429

Exeter costs about 48% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Exeter and Budapest sit above the global median – Exeter by 78%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.02 £15.02

$13.94 Ft 4,503

43.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.9 £74.2

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

61.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 £6.84

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-10.50%

Cappuccino

$4.73 £3.55

$3.26 Ft 1,055

45.09%

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

$3.12 £2.34

$2.14 Ft 690

45.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 £1.80

$1.78 Ft 577

34.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 £5.35

$3.71 Ft 1,198

92.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 £4.65

$3.77 Ft 1,217

64.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 £1.13

$1.15 Ft 371

30.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.79 Ft 578

-10.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 £1.33

$2.49 Ft 804

-28.51%

Eggs

$4.31 £3.23

$3.90 Ft 1,261

10.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.95 £6.72

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-19.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.41 £6.31

$6.62 Ft 2,139

27.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.94 £17.21

$14.69 Ft 4,745

56.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$1.83 Ft 591

64.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 £1.07

$2.05 Ft 661

-30.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 £1.72

$2.37 Ft 765

-3.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 £2.30

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-21.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 £1.70

$0.99 Ft 320

129.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 £1.52

$1.00 Ft 322

102.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 £1.12

$1.58 Ft 511

-5.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.42

$0.67 Ft 216

182.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.33 £17.51

$7.96 Ft 2,572

193.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 £6.91

$6.22 Ft 2,009

48.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 £2.64

$1.27 Ft 411

177.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.31

$2.03 Ft 654

117.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.00 £3.00

$1.52 Ft 490

163.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £78.2

$28.02 Ft 9,053

271.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 £4.47

$3.31 Ft 1,070

80.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 £1.83

$1.37 Ft 442

77.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.16 £18.12

$19.83 Ft 6,406

21.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.46

$1.82 Ft 589

6.59%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

30.25%

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

$40.2K £30.2K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

18.97%

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

$469 £352

$171 Ft 55.3K

174.36%

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

$15.80 £11.85

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-32.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.56 £34.93

$23.29 Ft 7,526

99.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.93 £32.96

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-34.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.13 £9.85

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-30.49%

Cinema Ticket

$12.73 £9.55

$9.30 Ft 3,004

36.88%

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

$1,413 £1,060

$533 Ft 172.3K

164.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K £13.1K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

4.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.1 £50.3

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-32.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.64 £23.74

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-27.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.6

$110 Ft 35.7K

-7.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 £56.3

$119 Ft 38.4K

-36.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 £853

$830 Ft 268.3K

36.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 £670

$622 Ft 200.9K

43.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,384 £1,788

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

49.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,063 £1,547

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

76.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,317 £3,989

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-8.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,618 £4,965

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

70.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,096 £2,323

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

87.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

6.45

-20.78%

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

Last update for Exeter: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Exeter

$893 37.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 30.3% $271

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Exeter

$532 22.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 59% $314

Groceries & Markets

Exeter

$326 13.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 20.8% $68

Eating Out

Exeter

$314 13.1%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 29.1% $91

Getting Around

Exeter

$138 5.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 68% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Exeter

$124 5.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 35% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Exeter

$69 2.9%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 24.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,137 in Exeter 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.

Salaries run about 87% higher in Exeter, 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 $99.0 in Exeter versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Exeter

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

1 h ahead of Exeter

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,800

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Exeter Budapest 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Exeter
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

Exeter vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Exeter is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,595 per month in Exeter 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 272% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,413 per month in Exeter 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 Exeter at $2,396. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Exeter 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, Exeter makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.