Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harlow and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,320 in Harlow, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Harlow outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Harlow
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Harlow Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Harlow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,320

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,320 per month in Harlow vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Harlow $2,320
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,416 per month in Harlow vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Harlow $3,416
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,513 per month in Harlow vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Harlow $4,513
Budapest $3,429

Harlow costs about 43% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Harlow and Budapest sit above the global median – Harlow by 72%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.12 £15.84

$13.94 Ft 4,503

51.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.0 £69.7

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

51.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 £8.04

$10.19 Ft 3,291

5.20%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.28

$3.26 Ft 1,055

75.15%

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

$2.61 £1.96

$2.14 Ft 690

21.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.34

$1.78 Ft 577

0.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.71 £5.03

$3.71 Ft 1,198

80.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 £5.11

$3.77 Ft 1,217

80.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.15 Ft 371

17.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.79 Ft 578

-22.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 £0.82

$2.49 Ft 804

-55.82%

Eggs

$2.35 £1.76

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-39.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.66 £5.00

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-40.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.12 £4.59

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-7.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.73 £5.05

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-54.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.83 Ft 591

10.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 £0.88

$2.05 Ft 661

-42.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 £0.86

$2.37 Ft 765

-51.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 £1.47

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$0.99 Ft 320

59.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.00 Ft 322

33.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.58 Ft 511

-14.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.11

$0.67 Ft 216

120.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.83 £15.63

$7.96 Ft 2,572

161.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.04 £6.78

$6.22 Ft 2,009

45.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 £2.04

$1.27 Ft 411

114.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$2.03 Ft 654

-4.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 £1.97

$1.52 Ft 490

73.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.84 £4.38

$3.31 Ft 1,070

76.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.37 Ft 442

18.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.14 £15.86

$19.83 Ft 6,406

6.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 £1.38

$1.82 Ft 589

1.65%

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

$37.4K £28.0K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

25.48%

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

$41.1K £30.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

21.41%

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

$220 £165

$171 Ft 55.3K

28.28%

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

$11.73 £8.80

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-50.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.08 £21.07

$23.29 Ft 7,526

20.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.62 £34.22

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-32.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.11 £6.09

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-57.07%

Cinema Ticket

$12.56 £9.43

$9.30 Ft 3,004

35.05%

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

$1,062 £797

$533 Ft 172.3K

99.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K £15.0K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

19.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 £52.4

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-29.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.69 £23.77

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-27.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 £57.8

$110 Ft 35.7K

-30.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.87 £28.41

$119 Ft 38.4K

-68.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 £1,048

$830 Ft 268.3K

68.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 £993

$622 Ft 200.9K

112.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,253 £1,690

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

41.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,211 £1,659

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

88.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,992 £2,245

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

81.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

6.45

-23.88%

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

Last update for Harlow: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harlow

$1.3K 57.1%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 53% $702

Eating Out

Harlow

$334 14.4%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 33.3% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harlow

$259 11.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 16% $41

Groceries & Markets

Harlow

$209 9%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 23.1% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Harlow

$97 4.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 72% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Harlow

$71 3.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 21.7% $15

Getting Around

Harlow

$24 * 1.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 80.9% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,397 in Harlow 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 81% higher in Harlow, 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 Harlow versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $209 in Harlow vs $258 in Budapest – so Harlow wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Harlow

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

23:46 11:46 PM

00:46 12:46 AM

1 h ahead of Harlow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,191

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 17, 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 17, 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

Harlow Budapest 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Harlow
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

Harlow vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Harlow is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,479 per month in Harlow 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $93.0 in Harlow and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Harlow – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Harlow at $2,320. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Harlow 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, Harlow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.