Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and in Budapest: $1,600 and $1,621 a month, rent and utilities included.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,600
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $1,600
  • Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,345 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $2,345
  • Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,090 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $3,090
  • Budapest $3,489

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands is about 1% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and Budapest sit above the global median – Gran Canaria, Canary Islands by 19%, Budapest by 21%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.29 €13.70
$13.99 Ft 4,570
9.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$57.5 €51.5
$60.3 Ft 19.7K
-4.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.40 €9.32
$9.96 Ft 3,255
4.42%
Cappuccino
$2.13 €1.91
$3.38 Ft 1,105
-36.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 €2.16
$2.13 Ft 696
13.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 €1.54
$1.87 Ft 611
-8.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.23 €2.90
$3.75 Ft 1,226
-13.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.38 €3.03
$3.57 Ft 1,167
-5.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 €1.08
$1.13 Ft 370
6.19%
White Bread (500g)
$1.35 €1.21
$1.84 Ft 602
-26.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.62 €1.45
$2.39 Ft 780
-32.22%
Eggs
$2.80 €2.51
$3.83 Ft 1,250
-26.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.71 €12.28
$11.33 Ft 3,702
21.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.26 €7.40
$6.74 Ft 2,201
22.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.30 €13.71
$14.69 Ft 4,800
4.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.46 €2.21
$1.84 Ft 600
33.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$2.01 Ft 656
-1.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 €1.77
$2.36 Ft 770
-16.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.29
$3.77 Ft 1,232
-32.10%
Potato (1kg)
$1.71 €1.53
$0.96 Ft 315
78.13%
Onion (1kg)
$2.05 €1.84
$1.03 Ft 336
99.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.56 Ft 511
-16.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 €0.68
$0.66 Ft 217
15.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.27 €5.61
$7.96 Ft 2,602
-21.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.68 €5.09
$6.01 Ft 1,963
-5.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 €1.12
$1.30 Ft 423
-3.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 €1.83
$2.08 Ft 679
-1.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 €1.52
$1.50 Ft 491
13.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.53 €30.93
$27.61 Ft 9,021
25.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.00 €3.58
$3.30 Ft 1,079
21.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.24 €1.11
$1.30 Ft 426
-4.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.63 €22.06
$19.78 Ft 6,465
24.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.61
$1.81 Ft 593
-0.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.4K €34.4K
$29.3K Ft 9.6M
30.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.4K €27.3K
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
-10.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$133 €119
$170 Ft 55.5K
-21.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.10 €18.90
$23.98 Ft 7,836
-12.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.91 €27.69
$23.42 Ft 7,654
31.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.28 €42.36
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
-28.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.31 €13.72
$19.18 Ft 6,266
-20.18%
Cinema Ticket
$9.19 €8.23
$9.52 Ft 3,112
-3.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$409 €366
$537 Ft 175.4K
-23.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,292 €7,428
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
-50.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.1 €76.2
$101 Ft 33.1K
-16.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.30 €31.62
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
-17.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.1 €79.8
$113 Ft 36.8K
-21.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 €96.6
$119 Ft 38.8K
-9.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$843 €755
$805 Ft 263.1K
4.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$689 €618
$629 Ft 205.6K
9.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,304 €1,168
$1,549 Ft 506.3K
-15.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$995 €891
$1,167 Ft 381.4K
-14.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,345 €2,996
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
-40.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,308 €2,068
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
-41.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,626 Ft 531.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.5
6.43
-45.57%

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

Last update for Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$689
Budapest
$629 8.7% $60
Groceries & Markets
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$262
Budapest
$258 1.6% $4.1
Eating Out
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$218
Budapest
$224 2.6% $5.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$185
Budapest
$217 17.4% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$143
Budapest
$169 18.4% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$66
Budapest
$85 29.9% $20
Getting Around
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$52
Budapest
$43 15.8% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $843 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
08:51 8:51 AM
09:51 9:51 AM
1 h ahead of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
862,893
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Budapest 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
  • 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
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Budapest cheaper than Gran Canaria, Canary Islands?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,401 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 25% less in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $409 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands or in Budapest?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, where all-in costs run around $1,600, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Gran Canaria, Canary Islands it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Gran Canaria, Canary Islands or Budapest more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Gran Canaria, Canary Islands – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands or Budapest?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. 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.

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