Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hella and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $1,722 in Hella, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Hella despite lower rent and utilities.

84

Cost of Living Index in Hella
Learn more

Hella Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,722

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,722 per month in Hella vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Hella $1,722
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,928 per month in Hella vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Hella $2,928
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,135 per month in Hella vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Hella $4,135
Budapest $3,429

Hella costs about 6% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hella and Budapest sit above the global median – Hella by 28%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.26 ISK 3,791

$13.94 Ft 4,503

124.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 ISK 14.9K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

100.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.14 ISK 3,291

$10.19 Ft 3,291

166.34%

Cappuccino

$6.93 ISK 841

$3.26 Ft 1,055

112.58%

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

$3.36 ISK 407

$2.14 Ft 690

57.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ISK 373

$1.78 Ft 577

72.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.71 ISK 1,663

$3.71 Ft 1,198

269.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.32 ISK 1,495

$3.77 Ft 1,217

226.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 247

$1.15 Ft 371

77.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.26 ISK 516

$1.79 Ft 578

137.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.58 ISK 434

$2.49 Ft 804

43.78%

Eggs

$6.99 ISK 848

$3.90 Ft 1,261

79.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.00 ISK 2,668

$11.10 Ft 3,587

98.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.51 ISK 2,973

$6.62 Ft 2,139

270.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.04 ISK 4,978

$14.69 Ft 4,745

179.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 ISK 406

$1.83 Ft 591

83.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 ISK 347

$2.05 Ft 661

39.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 ISK 379

$2.37 Ft 765

32.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.62 ISK 803

$3.90 Ft 1,260

69.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.81 ISK 463

$0.99 Ft 320

284.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 ISK 208

$1.00 Ft 322

71.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.78 ISK 458

$1.58 Ft 511

139.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ISK 215

$0.67 Ft 216

164.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.79 ISK 1,672

$7.96 Ft 2,572

73.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.61 ISK 2,863

$6.22 Ft 2,009

279.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.71 ISK 449

$1.27 Ft 411

192.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ISK 425

$2.03 Ft 654

72.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$3.31 Ft 1,070

99.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.76 ISK 335

$1.37 Ft 442

101.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.2 ISK 9,844

$19.83 Ft 6,406

309.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$1.82 Ft 589

14.84%

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

$51.2K ISK 6.2M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

71.95%

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

$54.1K ISK 6.6M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

60.07%

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

$95.2 ISK 11.5K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-44.38%

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

$33.16 ISK 4,022

$23.51 Ft 7,596

41.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.7 ISK 10.6K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

276.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$19.67 ISK 2,386

$9.30 Ft 3,004

111.51%

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

$1,198 ISK 145.2K

$533 Ft 172.3K

124.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.7K ISK 3.1M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

53.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$147 ISK 17.8K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

47.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.0 ISK 8,130

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

54.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.2K

$110 Ft 35.7K

65.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$119 Ft 38.4K

112.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

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)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

6.45

36.59%

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

Last update for Hella: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hella

$620 36%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 58.4% $362

Eating Out

Hella

$534 31%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 58.2% $311

Clothing & Footwear

Hella

$292 17%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 42.7% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hella

$216 12.6%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 0.9% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Hella

$39 * 2.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 119% $47

Getting Around

Hella

$20 * 1.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 117% $24

Accommodation & Living

Hella

- * 0%

Budapest

$622 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $123 in Hella versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $620 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Hella

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

04:33 4:33 AM

2 h ahead of Hella

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 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 ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hella Budapest 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hella
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

Hella vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hella is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,583 per month in Hella and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $123 in Hella 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 141% more in Hella, 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 Hella at $1,722. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hella 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, Hella makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.