Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guildford and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,241 in Guildford, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Guildford
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Guildford Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Guildford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,241

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,241 per month in Guildford vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Guildford $3,241
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $4,573 per month in Guildford vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Guildford $4,573
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,905 per month in Guildford vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Guildford $5,905
Budapest $3,489

Guildford costs about 100% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Guildford and Budapest sit above the global median – Guildford by 142%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.66 £22.41

$13.99 Ft 4,551

112.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.1 £70.4

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

54.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 £8.36

$9.96 Ft 3,241

11.04%

Cappuccino

$5.08 £3.84

$3.38 Ft 1,100

50.30%

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

$2.75 £2.08

$2.13 Ft 692

29.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 £1.16

$1.87 Ft 608

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.37 £6.33

$3.75 Ft 1,221

123.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 £5.11

$3.57 Ft 1,162

89.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 £1.17

$1.13 Ft 368

36.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 £1.01

$1.84 Ft 599

-27.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 £1.43

$2.39 Ft 777

-20.92%

Eggs

$4.30 £3.25

$3.83 Ft 1,245

12.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.39 £10.12

$11.33 Ft 3,686

18.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.12 £7.65

$6.74 Ft 2,192

50.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.09 £12.16

$14.69 Ft 4,780

9.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 £2.64

$1.84 Ft 597

90.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 £1.52

$2.01 Ft 653

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 £2.80

$2.36 Ft 767

57.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 £3.88

$3.77 Ft 1,226

36.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 £1.53

$0.96 Ft 313

110.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 £1.08

$1.03 Ft 334

38.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 £0.90

$1.56 Ft 509

-23.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 £1.07

$0.66 Ft 216

113.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.48 £17.75

$7.96 Ft 2,591

194.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.07 £9.12

$6.01 Ft 1,954

100.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 £1.87

$1.30 Ft 421

90.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.33

$2.08 Ft 676

48.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 £2.23

$1.50 Ft 489

96.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 £75.9

$27.61 Ft 8,982

263.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.75 £3.59

$3.30 Ft 1,074

43.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 £1.51

$1.30 Ft 424

53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.95 £30.19

$19.78 Ft 6,436

101.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 £1.53

$1.81 Ft 591

11.60%

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

$37.5K £28.3K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

27.84%

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

$40.7K £30.8K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

19.38%

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

$398 £300

$170 Ft 55.3K

133.92%

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

$20.68 £15.63

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-13.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.33 £34.25

$23.42 Ft 7,621

93.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 £38.83

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-22.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.13 £17.48

$19.18 Ft 6,239

20.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.63 £8.03

$9.52 Ft 3,098

11.66%

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

$1,862 £1,407

$537 Ft 174.6K

246.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K £18.0K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

43.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 £82.2

$101 Ft 33.0K

7.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.0 £49.85

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

53.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 £90.5

$113 Ft 36.7K

6.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 £96.1

$119 Ft 38.6K

7.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 £1,430

$805 Ft 262.0K

134.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,605 £1,213

$629 Ft 204.7K

155.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,908 £2,198

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

87.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,433 £1,838

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

108.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,571 £5,721

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

34.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,870 £5,191

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

73.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,566 £2,695

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

119.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.13

6.43

-20.22%

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

Last update for Guildford: 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

Guildford

$1.6K 50.2%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 60.8% $976

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guildford

$464 14.5%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 53.1% $246

Eating Out

Guildford

$404 12.6%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 44.5% $180

Groceries & Markets

Guildford

$336 10.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 23.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Guildford

$190 5.9%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 10.9% $21

Getting Around

Guildford

$127 4%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 65.8% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Guildford

$73 2.3%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 17.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,892 in Guildford 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 119% higher in Guildford, 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 $93.0 in Guildford versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Guildford

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

1 h ahead of Guildford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,773

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

Guildford Budapest 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Guildford
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

Guildford vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Guildford is pricier by about 100%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,861 per month in Guildford 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 264% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,862 per month in Guildford 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 Guildford at $3,241. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guildford 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, Guildford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.