Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hungary and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Hungary: $1,361 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Hungary
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Hungary Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,361

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hungary and in the United Kingdom

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Hungary and in the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,361 per month in Hungary vs $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Hungary $1,361
United Kingdom $2,462

A couple spends around $2,095 per month in Hungary vs $3,600 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Hungary $2,095
United Kingdom $3,600

A family of three spends $2,830 per month in Hungary vs $4,738 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Hungary $2,830
United Kingdom $4,738

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Hungary ($1,015–$1,638), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Hungary is roughly 45% lower than in the United Kingdom on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.28 Ft 4,020

$21.48 £16.05

-42.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 Ft 17.6K

$85.7 £64.1

-37.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 Ft 3,048

$10.61 £7.93

-12.25%

Cappuccino

$2.57 Ft 842

$4.91 £3.67

-47.66%

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

$1.76 Ft 577

$2.66 £1.99

-33.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 Ft 450

$1.87 £1.39

-26.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 Ft 893

$6.63 £4.95

-58.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 Ft 874

$6.84 £5.11

-60.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 Ft 395

$1.68 £1.26

-27.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 Ft 511

$1.72 £1.28

-9.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 749

$2.17 £1.62

5.53%

Eggs

$3.50 Ft 1,144

$4.00 £2.99

-12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 Ft 3,436

$9.42 £7.04

11.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 Ft 2,109

$9.19 £6.86

-29.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.32 Ft 4,688

$14.77 £11.03

-3.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 658

$2.97 £2.22

-32.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 Ft 693

$1.62 £1.21

30.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 Ft 697

$2.85 £2.13

-25.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 Ft 1,101

$3.52 £2.63

-4.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 Ft 342

$1.83 £1.37

-43.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 Ft 388

$1.61 £1.20

-26.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 Ft 490

$1.25 £0.93

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 Ft 192

$1.66 £1.24

-64.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.74 Ft 2,535

$23.65 £17.67

-67.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.11 Ft 1,671

$10.50 £7.84

-51.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 Ft 392

$2.98 £2.23

-59.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 Ft 631

$3.51 £2.62

-45.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 Ft 455

$3.98 £2.97

-65.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 Ft 8,820

$107 £80.3

-74.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 Ft 1,119

$5.18 £3.87

-33.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 Ft 454

$2.35 £1.75

-40.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.45 Ft 6,039

$26.84 £20.05

-31.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 Ft 619

$1.99 £1.48

-5.03%

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

$27.7K Ft 9.1M

$39.4K £29.5K

-29.88%

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

$34.3K Ft 11.2M

$40.5K £30.2K

-15.19%

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

$160 Ft 52.3K

$327 £244

-51.18%

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

$25.56 Ft 8,369

$18.21 £13.60

40.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.47 Ft 7,356

$43.60 £32.57

-48.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 Ft 17.4K

$42.36 £31.64

25.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.16 Ft 5,289

$18.22 £13.61

-11.31%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 Ft 2,860

$13.85 £10.34

-36.90%

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

$399 Ft 130.5K

$1,868 £1,396

-78.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K Ft 3.6M

$22.6K £16.9K

-51.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 Ft 28.5K

$92.9 £69.4

-6.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.59 Ft 11.7K

$45.92 £34.30

-22.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 Ft 30.7K

$102 £75.9

-7.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 Ft 31.8K

$102 £76.4

-4.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 Ft 195.7K

$1,342 £1,003

-55.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 Ft 152.5K

$1,073 £802

-56.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 Ft 340.4K

$2,231 £1,667

-53.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$809 Ft 264.8K

$1,742 £1,301

-53.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,668 Ft 1.2M

$5,601 £4,185

-34.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,683 Ft 878.5K

$4,265 £3,186

-37.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,290 Ft 422.2K

$3,349 £2,502

-61.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.15

5.32

34.40%

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

Last update for Hungary: October 26, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hungary

$466 34.2%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 130% $607

Groceries & Markets

Hungary

$244 17.9%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 25.9% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hungary

$208 15.3%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 87.2% $181

Eating Out

Hungary

$189 13.9%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 73.7% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Hungary

$141 10.4%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 9.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Hungary

$71 5.2%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Hungary

$43 3.2%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 227% $97

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $511 in Hungary vs $1,287 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $836 in Budapest and $2,811 in London.

Average salary: $1,184 in Hungary vs $3,251 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 152% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 60% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 288% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 2.7 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Hungary

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

02:06 2:06 AM

1 h behind Hungary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,599,744

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hungary United Kingdom 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hungary
United Kingdom

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

Hungary vs United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hungary is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 45% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $511 in Hungary.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Hungary – part of why living there is about 45% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Hungary, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Hungary is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.