Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilford and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,414 in Ilford, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ilford
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Ilford Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Ilford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,414

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,414 per month in Ilford vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Ilford $2,414
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,764 per month in Ilford vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Ilford $3,764
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $5,115 per month in Ilford vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Ilford $5,115
Budapest $3,429

Ilford costs about 49% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ilford and Budapest sit above the global median – Ilford by 79%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.97

$13.94 Ft 4,503

52.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.9 £70.5

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

53.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 £7.89

$10.19 Ft 3,291

3.14%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.45

$3.26 Ft 1,055

41.10%

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

$2.81 £2.11

$2.14 Ft 690

31.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.38

$1.78 Ft 577

2.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.91 £5.93

$3.71 Ft 1,198

113.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.43 £4.82

$3.77 Ft 1,217

70.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.15 Ft 371

42.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.79 Ft 578

-3.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 £1.72

$2.49 Ft 804

-7.63%

Eggs

$4.60 £3.45

$3.90 Ft 1,261

17.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 £7.09

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-14.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 £7.21

$6.62 Ft 2,139

45.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.45 £11.59

$14.69 Ft 4,745

5.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 £2.21

$1.83 Ft 591

60.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.06

$2.05 Ft 661

-31.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 £2.22

$2.37 Ft 765

24.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 £2.46

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-15.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$0.99 Ft 320

68.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.00 Ft 322

77.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.58 Ft 511

-18.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.33

$0.67 Ft 216

164.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.20 £16.65

$7.96 Ft 2,572

178.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$6.22 Ft 2,009

74.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.28

$1.27 Ft 411

139.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 £2.94

$2.03 Ft 654

93.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 £2.57

$1.52 Ft 490

125.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.6 £73.2

$28.02 Ft 9,053

248.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 £4.05

$3.31 Ft 1,070

62.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 £1.96

$1.37 Ft 442

90.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.45 £19.09

$19.83 Ft 6,406

28.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.58

$1.82 Ft 589

15.93%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

30.69%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

21.05%

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

$334 £250

$171 Ft 55.3K

94.90%

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

$18.31 £13.73

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-22.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.86 £30.65

$23.29 Ft 7,526

75.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.93 £33.70

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-33.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$17.09 £12.82

$9.30 Ft 3,004

83.76%

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

$2,535 £1,902

$533 Ft 172.3K

375.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.1K £26.3K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

109.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 £66.0

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-11.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.25 £34.69

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

6.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 £69.8

$110 Ft 35.7K

-15.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 £72.1

$119 Ft 38.4K

-19.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 £1,013

$830 Ft 268.3K

62.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 £768

$622 Ft 200.9K

64.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,960 £2,221

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

85.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 £1,575

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

79.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,983 £3,738

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-14.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,831 £2,874

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-1.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,485 £2,614

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

111.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

6.45

-21.86%

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

Last update for Ilford: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ilford

$1K 42.4%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 39.2% $401

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilford

$393 16.3%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 44.5% $175

Eating Out

Ilford

$328 13.6%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 32% $105

Groceries & Markets

Ilford

$315 13.1%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 18.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Ilford

$146 6%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 15.2% $22

Getting Around

Ilford

$130 5.4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 65.9% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Ilford

$79 3.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 8.9% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,350 in Ilford 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 111% higher in Ilford, 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 $94.0 in Ilford versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $315 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ilford

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

23:00 11:00 PM

00:00 12:00 AM

1 h ahead of Ilford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,168

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 17, 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 17, 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

Ilford Budapest 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ilford
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

Ilford vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ilford is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,620 per month in Ilford 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.

Public transport costs about 248% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,535 per month in Ilford and $533 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 $1,619, than in Ilford at $2,414. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ilford 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, Ilford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.