Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harrow and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,990 in Harrow, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Harrow
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Harrow Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Harrow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,990

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,990 per month in Harrow vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Harrow $2,990
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $4,436 per month in Harrow vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Harrow $4,436
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $5,883 per month in Harrow vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Harrow $5,883
Budapest $3,429

Harrow costs about 85% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Harrow and Budapest sit above the global median – Harrow by 121%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 £14.99

$13.94 Ft 4,503

43.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.1 £69.8

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

52.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 £7.04

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-7.85%

Cappuccino

$4.54 £3.40

$3.26 Ft 1,055

39.26%

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

$2.88 £2.16

$2.14 Ft 690

34.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.46

$1.78 Ft 577

9.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 £5.61

$3.71 Ft 1,198

101.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 £5.28

$3.77 Ft 1,217

86.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.15 Ft 371

40.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.79 Ft 578

3.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 £1.27

$2.49 Ft 804

-31.73%

Eggs

$6.11 £4.58

$3.90 Ft 1,261

56.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.15 £8.37

$11.10 Ft 3,587

0.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.28 £6.21

$6.62 Ft 2,139

25.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.32 £9.25

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-16.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 £1.55

$1.83 Ft 591

12.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$2.05 Ft 661

-36.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 £1.30

$2.37 Ft 765

-26.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.19 £3.90

$3.90 Ft 1,260

33.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$0.99 Ft 320

31.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.00 Ft 322

58.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.58 Ft 511

-18.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 £0.97

$0.67 Ft 216

94.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.63 £16.98

$7.96 Ft 2,572

184.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.46 £7.10

$6.22 Ft 2,009

52.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.27 Ft 411

59.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 £0.98

$2.03 Ft 654

-35.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 £3.58

$1.52 Ft 490

213.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$13.04 £9.78

$3.31 Ft 1,070

293.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.93 £2.95

$1.37 Ft 442

186.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.82 Ft 589

3.85%

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

$39.6K £29.7K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

33.04%

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

$43.6K £32.7K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

28.92%

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

$202 £151

$171 Ft 55.3K

17.97%

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

$15.13 £11.35

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-35.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.77 £29.84

$23.29 Ft 7,526

70.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.0 £58.5

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

15.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$13.97 £10.48

$9.30 Ft 3,004

50.22%

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

$1,909 £1,432

$533 Ft 172.3K

257.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K £17.9K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

42.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.8 £58.4

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-21.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 £43.93

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

34.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £78.3

$110 Ft 35.7K

-5.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £119

$119 Ft 38.4K

33.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 £1,694

$830 Ft 268.3K

171.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 £1,346

$622 Ft 200.9K

188.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,113 £3,086

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

158.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,116 £2,338

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

166.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,410 £5,559

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

27.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,360 £5,522

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

89.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,100 £3,826

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

208.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.3

6.45

-17.83%

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

Last update for Harrow: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harrow

$1.8K 60%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 65.3% $1.2K

Eating Out

Harrow

$313 10.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 28.8% $90

Groceries & Markets

Harrow

$288 9.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 10.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harrow

$257 8.6%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 15.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Harrow

$180 6%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 6.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Harrow

$106 3.5%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 18.7% $20

Getting Around

Harrow

$52 * 1.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 14.5% $7.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,258 in Harrow 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 209% higher in Harrow, 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 Harrow versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Harrow

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

16:24 4:24 PM

1 h ahead of Harrow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,246

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 19, 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 19, 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

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

From you

Harrow
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

Harrow vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Harrow is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,485 per month in Harrow 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 Harrow and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Harrow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Harrow at $2,990. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Harrow 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, Harrow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.