Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hertfordshire and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,541 in Hertfordshire, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Hertfordshire
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Hertfordshire Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Hertfordshire

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,541

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,541 per month in Hertfordshire vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Hertfordshire $2,541
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,780 per month in Hertfordshire vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Hertfordshire $3,780
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,020 per month in Hertfordshire vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Hertfordshire $5,020
Budapest $3,489

Hertfordshire costs about 57% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hertfordshire and Budapest sit above the global median – Hertfordshire by 90%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.32 £19.88

$13.99 Ft 4,554

88.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.8 £60.2

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

32.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £8.01

$9.96 Ft 3,244

6.53%

Cappuccino

$4.94 £3.73

$3.38 Ft 1,101

46.15%

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

$2.37 £1.79

$2.13 Ft 693

11.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 £1.51

$1.87 Ft 609

6.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 £4.20

$3.75 Ft 1,222

48.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.38 £4.06

$3.57 Ft 1,163

50.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 £1.15

$1.13 Ft 369

34.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 £1.39

$1.84 Ft 599

-0.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 £2.01

$2.39 Ft 777

11.30%

Eggs

$3.59 £2.71

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-6.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.96 £6.01

$11.33 Ft 3,688

-29.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.27 £5.49

$6.74 Ft 2,193

7.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.30 £12.31

$14.69 Ft 4,783

10.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 £2.50

$1.84 Ft 598

80.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$2.01 Ft 654

-23.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.28

$2.36 Ft 767

27.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 £2.63

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-7.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 £0.88

$0.96 Ft 314

20.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.32

$1.03 Ft 335

68.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.56 Ft 509

-20.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.19

$0.66 Ft 216

139.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.24 £16.05

$7.96 Ft 2,593

166.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 £7.47

$6.01 Ft 1,955

64.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 £1.51

$1.30 Ft 422

53.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.08 Ft 677

-1.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.53 £2.67

$1.50 Ft 489

135.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.2 £65.8

$27.61 Ft 8,989

215.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 £3.07

$3.30 Ft 1,075

23.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.90 £2.95

$1.30 Ft 424

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.65 £23.90

$19.78 Ft 6,441

60.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.50

$1.81 Ft 591

9.39%

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

$37.8K £28.5K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

28.88%

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

$40.6K £30.7K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

18.98%

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

$161 £121

$170 Ft 55.3K

-5.38%

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

$17.68 £13.35

$23.98 Ft 7,808

-26.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.41 £33.54

$23.42 Ft 7,627

89.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.26 £34.95

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-30.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,244

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 £10.06

$9.52 Ft 3,101

39.92%

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

$1,565 £1,182

$537 Ft 174.8K

191.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K £15.3K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

21.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.38 £35.03

$101 Ft 33.0K

-54.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 £29.84

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-8.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 £55.4

$113 Ft 36.7K

-34.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 £82.9

$119 Ft 38.7K

-7.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 £1,323

$805 Ft 262.2K

117.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 £1,008

$629 Ft 204.9K

112.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 £2,162

$1,549 Ft 504.5K

84.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,352 £1,776

$1,167 Ft 380.0K

101.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,907 £3,706

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-12.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,922 £2,963

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-1.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,204 £2,420

$1,626 Ft 529.4K

97.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

6.43

-18.97%

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

Last update for Hertfordshire: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hertfordshire

$1.3K 52.9%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 52.8% $705

Eating Out

Hertfordshire

$358 14.2%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 37.3% $134

Groceries & Markets

Hertfordshire

$288 11.4%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 10.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hertfordshire

$223 8.8%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 2.5% $5.5

Getting Around

Hertfordshire

$125 5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 65.2% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Hertfordshire

$121 4.8%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 39.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Hertfordshire

$73 2.9%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 17% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,752 in Hertfordshire 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 97% higher in Hertfordshire, 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 $80.0 in Hertfordshire versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Hertfordshire

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

18:30 6:30 PM

1 h ahead of Hertfordshire

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,990

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 12, 2026: 1 USD = 0.755 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.846 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

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

From you

Hertfordshire
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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

Hertfordshire vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hertfordshire is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,811 per month in Hertfordshire 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 216% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,565 per month in Hertfordshire 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 Hertfordshire at $2,541. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hertfordshire 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, Hertfordshire makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.