Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,237 in Hamilton, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,237

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,237 per month in Hamilton vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Hamilton $2,237
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,267 per month in Hamilton vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Hamilton $3,267
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,297 per month in Hamilton vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Hamilton $4,297
Budapest $3,489

Hamilton costs about 38% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hamilton and Budapest sit above the global median – Hamilton by 67%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 CA$25.16

$13.99 Ft 4,551

26.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 CA$86.5

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

0.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 CA$17.05

$9.96 Ft 3,241

20.08%

Cappuccino

$3.48 CA$4.96

$3.38 Ft 1,100

2.96%

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

$2.15 CA$3.06

$2.13 Ft 692

0.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.34

$1.87 Ft 608

-12.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 CA$6.95

$3.75 Ft 1,221

29.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 CA$8.74

$3.57 Ft 1,162

71.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.09

$1.13 Ft 368

92.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 CA$3.17

$1.84 Ft 599

21.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 CA$3.62

$2.39 Ft 777

6.28%

Eggs

$3.20 CA$4.55

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-16.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 CA$11.27

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-30.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.76 CA$15.34

$6.74 Ft 2,192

59.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 CA$19.44

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-7.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 CA$5.45

$1.84 Ft 597

107.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.73

$2.01 Ft 653

-39.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.76

$2.36 Ft 767

71.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 CA$5.42

$3.77 Ft 1,226

0.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 CA$3.32

$0.96 Ft 313

142.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 CA$2.25

$1.03 Ft 334

53.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 CA$3.09

$1.56 Ft 509

39.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 CA$1.85

$0.66 Ft 216

96.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.33 CA$17.58

$7.96 Ft 2,591

54.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 CA$18.90

$6.01 Ft 1,954

120.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 CA$3.49

$1.30 Ft 421

88.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 CA$4.81

$2.08 Ft 676

62.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 CA$3.55

$1.50 Ft 489

66.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.6 CA$122

$27.61 Ft 8,982

209.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$3.30 Ft 1,074

3.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 CA$1.75

$1.30 Ft 424

-5.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.37 CA$33.32

$19.78 Ft 6,436

18.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 CA$1.70

$1.81 Ft 591

-34.25%

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

$27.5K CA$39.2K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-6.13%

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

$19.9K CA$28.3K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-41.70%

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

$149 CA$212

$170 Ft 55.3K

-12.29%

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

$41.14 CA$58.7

$23.98 Ft 7,802

71.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.32 CA$70.3

$23.42 Ft 7,621

110.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.18 CA$53.0

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-43.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.33 CA$24.71

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-9.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 CA$14.52

$9.52 Ft 3,098

7.04%

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

$597 CA$852

$537 Ft 174.6K

11.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.1K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-2.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.29 CA$68.8

$101 Ft 33.0K

-52.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.75 CA$43.83

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-28.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 CA$123

$113 Ft 36.7K

-23.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 CA$163

$119 Ft 38.6K

-3.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 CA$1,801

$805 Ft 262.0K

56.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 CA$1,617

$629 Ft 204.7K

80.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 CA$2,859

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

29.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,869 CA$2,664

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

60.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,659 CA$3,790

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-52.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,694 CA$3,840

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-32.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,896 CA$4,128

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

78.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

6.43

-28.46%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 6, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$1.1K 50.2%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 44.5% $506

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$327 14.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 21.2% $69

Eating Out

Hamilton

$271 12%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 17.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$240 10.6%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 9.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$126 5.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 34.4% $43

Getting Around

Hamilton

$105 4.7%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 58.7% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$58 2.6%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 48.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,263 in Hamilton 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 78% higher in Hamilton, 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 $61.0 in Hamilton versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

6 h ahead of Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

519,949

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 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 CAD in detail →

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Hamilton Budapest 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Hamilton vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hamilton is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,356 per month in Hamilton 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 210% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $597 per month in Hamilton 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 Hamilton at $2,237. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamilton 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, Hamilton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.