Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jerusalem and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,912 in Jerusalem, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Jerusalem
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Jerusalem Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Jerusalem

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,912

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,912 per month in Jerusalem vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Jerusalem $2,912
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $4,212 per month in Jerusalem vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Jerusalem $4,212
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,511 per month in Jerusalem vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Jerusalem $5,511
Budapest $3,489

Jerusalem costs about 80% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Jerusalem and Budapest sit above the global median – Jerusalem by 117%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.96 ₪70.3

$13.99 Ft 4,551

64.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.9 ₪306

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

65.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.75 ₪60.4

$9.96 Ft 3,241

98.29%

Cappuccino

$4.86 ₪14.87

$3.38 Ft 1,100

43.79%

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

$3.59 ₪10.99

$2.13 Ft 692

68.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₪8.53

$1.87 Ft 608

49.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 ₪24.39

$3.75 Ft 1,221

112.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.33 ₪31.62

$3.57 Ft 1,162

189.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 ₪7.43

$1.13 Ft 368

115.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 ₪10.49

$1.84 Ft 599

86.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 ₪11.18

$2.39 Ft 777

52.72%

Eggs

$4.75 ₪14.53

$3.83 Ft 1,245

24.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 ₪52.4

$11.33 Ft 3,686

51.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.45 ₪44.22

$6.74 Ft 2,192

114.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$35.71 ₪109

$14.69 Ft 4,780

143.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.29 ₪13.12

$1.84 Ft 597

133.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.37 ₪10.32

$2.01 Ft 653

67.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 ₪8.32

$2.36 Ft 767

15.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.40 ₪7.36

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-36.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 ₪5.77

$0.96 Ft 313

95.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 ₪5.04

$1.03 Ft 334

60.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 ₪6.09

$1.56 Ft 509

27.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₪5.82

$0.66 Ft 216

187.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.83 ₪42.32

$7.96 Ft 2,591

73.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.54 ₪47.54

$6.01 Ft 1,954

158.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.63 ₪14.16

$1.30 Ft 421

256.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 ₪13.00

$2.08 Ft 676

104.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 ₪7.89

$1.50 Ft 489

72.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 ₪217

$27.61 Ft 8,982

157.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 ₪12.22

$3.30 Ft 1,074

20.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 ₪3.88

$1.30 Ft 424

-2.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.46 ₪77.9

$19.78 Ft 6,436

28.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.69 ₪8.25

$1.81 Ft 591

48.62%

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

$58.2K ₪178.0K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

98.37%

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

$59.1K ₪180.8K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

73.24%

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

$291 ₪889

$170 Ft 55.3K

70.98%

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

$12.40 ₪37.93

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-48.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.33 ₪126

$23.42 Ft 7,621

76.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 ₪227

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

12.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.77 ₪54.4

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-7.35%

Cinema Ticket

$14.65 ₪44.84

$9.52 Ft 3,098

53.89%

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

$1,395 ₪4,268

$537 Ft 174.6K

159.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.5K ₪87.3K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

71.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$118 ₪360

$101 Ft 33.0K

16.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.0 ₪236

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

79.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 ₪467

$113 Ft 36.7K

35.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 ₪496

$119 Ft 38.6K

36.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 ₪5,834

$805 Ft 262.0K

136.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 ₪3,861

$629 Ft 204.7K

100.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,720 ₪11.4K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

140.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,913 ₪5,853

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

63.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$20.0K ₪61.2K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

255.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,134 ₪27.9K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

130.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,777 ₪11.6K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

132.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

6.43

-22.40%

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

Last update for Jerusalem: 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

Jerusalem

$1.3K 43.4%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 50.1% $633

Groceries & Markets

Jerusalem

$490 16.9%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 47.4% $232

Eating Out

Jerusalem

$387 13.3%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 42.1% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jerusalem

$344 11.8%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 36.9% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Jerusalem

$229 7.9%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 26.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Jerusalem

$104 3.6%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 17.6% $18

Getting Around

Jerusalem

$92 3.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 52.6% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,907 in Jerusalem 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 132% higher in Jerusalem, 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 $100 in Jerusalem versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $490 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Jerusalem

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

1 h behind Jerusalem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

882,652 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.327 USD

1 ILS = 0.291 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.06 ILS (1 ILS = 0.327 USD). 1 EUR = 3.43 ILS (1 ILS = 0.291 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jerusalem Budapest 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Jerusalem
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

Jerusalem vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Jerusalem is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,368 per month in Jerusalem 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 157% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,395 per month in Jerusalem 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 Jerusalem at $2,912. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jerusalem 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, Jerusalem makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.