Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haifa and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,495 in Haifa, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Haifa
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Haifa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Haifa

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,495

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,495 per month in Haifa vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Haifa $2,495
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,715 per month in Haifa vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Haifa $3,715
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,935 per month in Haifa vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Haifa $4,935
Budapest $3,489

Haifa costs about 54% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Haifa and Budapest sit above the global median – Haifa by 86%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.47 ₪81.0

$13.99 Ft 4,551

89.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 ₪330

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

78.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.57 ₪59.9

$9.96 Ft 3,241

96.49%

Cappuccino

$4.50 ₪13.78

$3.38 Ft 1,100

33.14%

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

$3.50 ₪10.72

$2.13 Ft 692

64.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ₪10.25

$1.87 Ft 608

79.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.53 ₪32.23

$3.75 Ft 1,221

180.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.95 ₪33.52

$3.57 Ft 1,162

206.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 ₪7.57

$1.13 Ft 368

119.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.73 ₪11.40

$1.84 Ft 599

102.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.99 ₪12.22

$2.39 Ft 777

66.95%

Eggs

$4.93 ₪15.08

$3.83 Ft 1,245

28.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.50 ₪53.5

$11.33 Ft 3,686

54.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.69 ₪38.83

$6.74 Ft 2,192

88.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.68 ₪72.4

$14.69 Ft 4,780

61.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.30 ₪13.15

$1.84 Ft 597

133.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.89 ₪8.84

$2.01 Ft 653

43.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ₪7.04

$2.36 Ft 767

-2.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 ₪8.00

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-30.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 ₪6.15

$0.96 Ft 313

109.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 ₪5.55

$1.03 Ft 334

75.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 ₪7.36

$1.56 Ft 509

53.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₪7.93

$0.66 Ft 216

292.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.24 ₪40.52

$7.96 Ft 2,591

66.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.62 ₪47.80

$6.01 Ft 1,954

159.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 ₪9.53

$1.30 Ft 421

139.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 ₪15.35

$2.08 Ft 676

141.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 ₪7.87

$1.50 Ft 489

71.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 ₪309

$27.61 Ft 8,982

265.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.29 ₪13.12

$3.30 Ft 1,074

30.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 ₪3.84

$1.30 Ft 424

-3.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.06 ₪113

$19.78 Ft 6,436

87.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.56 ₪7.83

$1.81 Ft 591

41.44%

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

$57.6K ₪176.3K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

96.43%

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

$57.6K ₪176.2K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

68.78%

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

$263 ₪805

$170 Ft 55.3K

54.87%

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

$11.84 ₪36.24

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-50.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.28 ₪111

$23.42 Ft 7,621

54.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.7 ₪259

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

27.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.91 ₪76.2

$19.18 Ft 6,239

29.87%

Cinema Ticket

$15.82 ₪48.41

$9.52 Ft 3,098

66.18%

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

$1,155 ₪3,535

$537 Ft 174.6K

115.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 ₪346

$101 Ft 33.0K

11.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$72.3 ₪221

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

68.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 ₪404

$113 Ft 36.7K

17.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 ₪478

$119 Ft 38.6K

31.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 ₪3,284

$805 Ft 262.0K

33.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$804 ₪2,460

$629 Ft 204.7K

27.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,622 ₪4,964

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

4.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₪3,610

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

1.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,366 ₪28.7K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

66.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,212 ₪19.0K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

56.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,408 ₪13.5K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

171.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

6.43

-21.62%

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

Last update for Haifa: 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

Haifa

$804 32.9%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 21.7% $175

Groceries & Markets

Haifa

$453 18.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 43.1% $195

Eating Out

Haifa

$427 17.4%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 47.4% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haifa

$311 12.7%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 30.2% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Haifa

$213 8.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 20.6% $44

Getting Around

Haifa

$122 5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 64.4% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Haifa

$116 4.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 26.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,073 in Haifa 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 171% higher in Haifa, 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 $108 in Haifa versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $453 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Haifa

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

1 h behind Haifa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

279,591

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.327 USD

1 ILS = 0.291 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.06 ILS (1 ILS = 0.327 USD). 1 EUR = 3.43 ILS (1 ILS = 0.291 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 ILS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Haifa Budapest 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Haifa
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

Haifa vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Haifa is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,742 per month in Haifa 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 266% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,155 per month in Haifa 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 Haifa at $2,495. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Haifa 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, Haifa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.