Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hearst and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,210 in Hearst, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Hearst
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Hearst Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Hearst

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,210

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Hearst vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Hearst $2,210
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $3,203 per month in Hearst vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Hearst $3,203
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $4,197 per month in Hearst vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Hearst $4,197
Budapest $3,483

Hearst costs about 35% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hearst and Budapest sit above the global median – Hearst by 63%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 CA$24.53

$14.04 Ft 4,536

23.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 CA$93.4

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

8.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 CA$15.09

$10.37 Ft 3,351

2.89%

Cappuccino

$3.60 CA$5.09

$3.46 Ft 1,117

4.05%

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

$2.01 CA$2.83

$2.07 Ft 669

-2.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.20

$1.77 Ft 572

-12.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.18 CA$7.32

$3.69 Ft 1,191

40.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.58 CA$7.88

$3.80 Ft 1,229

46.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CA$2.95

$1.16 Ft 374

80.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CA$3.60

$1.85 Ft 598

37.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.65

$2.40 Ft 776

37.08%

Eggs

$3.34 CA$4.73

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-16.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 CA$13.67

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-15.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.53 CA$16.30

$6.87 Ft 2,221

67.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 CA$20.15

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-1.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 CA$5.35

$1.88 Ft 607

101.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$2.14 Ft 693

-41.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 CA$5.13

$2.30 Ft 744

57.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 CA$5.18

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-9.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 CA$3.52

$1.02 Ft 329

144.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 CA$3.06

$0.99 Ft 320

119.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$1.58 Ft 510

56.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$0.70 Ft 225

124.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 CA$19.63

$8.03 Ft 2,594

72.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.84 CA$18.15

$6.18 Ft 1,997

107.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.70

$1.24 Ft 401

110.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$2.06 Ft 666

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$1.59 Ft 513

40.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.3 CA$88.0

$27.52 Ft 8,893

126.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 CA$3.95

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-18.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.98

$1.33 Ft 431

5.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.95 CA$32.44

$20.45 Ft 6,607

12.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.61

$1.93 Ft 624

-40.93%

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

$27.9K CA$39.4K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-4.39%

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

$18.9K CA$26.7K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-45.65%

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

$132 CA$186

$175 Ft 56.4K

-24.61%

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

$38.55 CA$54.5

$23.62 Ft 7,631

63.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 CA$77.0

$23.60 Ft 7,625

130.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.47 CA$57.2

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-41.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 CA$25.18

$19.26 Ft 6,224

-7.53%

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 CA$15.72

$10.31 Ft 3,333

7.86%

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

$748 CA$1,057

$535 Ft 172.9K

39.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K CA$18.5K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-22.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 CA$75.9

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-46.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.42 CA$54.3

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-11.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 CA$118

$112 Ft 36.1K

-25.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$145

$119 Ft 38.4K

-13.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 CA$1,724

$832 Ft 268.8K

46.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 CA$1,560

$629 Ft 203.3K

75.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,918 CA$2,711

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

20.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,687 CA$2,384

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

40.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,145 CA$5,860

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-27.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,557 CA$5,028

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-9.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,120 CA$4,410

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

82.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

6.45

-27.75%

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

Last update for Hearst: October 19, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hearst

$1.1K 49.9%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 43% $474

Groceries & Markets

Hearst

$347 15.7%

Budapest

$262 16% 24.6% $85

Eating Out

Hearst

$265 12%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 14.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hearst

$225 10.2%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 1.2% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Hearst

$125 5.7%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 34.4% $43

Getting Around

Hearst

$81 3.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 45.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Hearst

$63 2.8%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 42.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,220 in Hearst versus $832 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 82% higher in Hearst, 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 $66.0 in Hearst versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $347 vs $262 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hearst

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

16:52 4:52 PM

6 h ahead of Hearst

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Hearst Budapest 6,920 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Hearst
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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

Hearst vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hearst is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,314 per month in Hearst and $2,461 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 126% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $748 per month in Hearst and $535 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 $1,641, than in Hearst at $2,210. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hearst 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, Hearst makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.