Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kafue and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kafue: $564 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Kafue
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Kafue Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Kafue

🇿🇲 Zambia

$564

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $564 per month in Kafue vs $1,647 in Budapest, rent included.

Kafue $564
Budapest $1,647

A couple spends around $902 per month in Kafue vs $2,567 in Budapest, rent included.

Kafue $902
Budapest $2,567

A family of three spends $1,239 per month in Kafue vs $3,488 in Budapest, rent included.

Kafue $1,239
Budapest $3,488

Kafue is about 66% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kafue sits 58% below the global median, while Budapest is 22% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.37 ZMW 109

$13.63 Ft 4,419

-60.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.41 ZMW 594

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

-51.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 ZMW 102

$10.02 Ft 3,248

-49.70%

Cappuccino

$2.86 ZMW 57.8

$3.33 Ft 1,078

-14.11%

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

$0.72 ZMW 14.45

$2.12 Ft 686

-66.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ZMW 9.68

$1.80 Ft 583

-73.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZMW 24.73

$3.61 Ft 1,169

-66.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.80

$3.59 Ft 1,163

-36.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ZMW 33.89

$1.12 Ft 362

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ZMW 23.52

$1.93 Ft 624

-39.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ZMW 40.54

$2.49 Ft 806

-19.28%

Eggs

$1.94 ZMW 39.22

$3.94 Ft 1,278

-50.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ZMW 206

$11.28 Ft 3,656

-9.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 ZMW 125

$6.73 Ft 2,183

-8.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ZMW 134

$14.44 Ft 4,682

-54.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ZMW 68.4

$1.86 Ft 603

81.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 ZMW 47.74

$2.04 Ft 660

15.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 ZMW 65.5

$2.29 Ft 742

41.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ZMW 31.09

$3.99 Ft 1,294

-61.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 ZMW 52.6

$0.94 Ft 305

176.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ZMW 35.75

$1.02 Ft 331

73.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ZMW 22.37

$1.65 Ft 536

-32.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ZMW 14.44

$0.68 Ft 221

4.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 ZMW 60.9

$7.81 Ft 2,533

-61.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.92 ZMW 200

$6.02 Ft 1,952

64.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ZMW 27.76

$1.29 Ft 419

6.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.90

$2.02 Ft 656

12.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 485

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,792

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 ZMW 49.05

$3.36 Ft 1,088

-27.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 ZMW 29.02

$1.37 Ft 445

5.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 ZMW 101

$19.96 Ft 6,468

-74.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ZMW 29.55

$1.86 Ft 604

-21.51%

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

$7,396 ZMW 149.5K

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

-74.06%

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

$24.7K ZMW 499.5K

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

-25.96%

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

$69.0 ZMW 1,394

$178 Ft 57.8K

-61.29%

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

$10.75 ZMW 217

$23.58 Ft 7,643

-54.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ZMW 1,083

$24.12 Ft 7,817

122.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,520

Cinema Ticket

$5.82 ZMW 118

$10.48 Ft 3,397

-44.47%

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

$145 ZMW 2,939

$625 Ft 202.6K

-76.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K ZMW 414.0K

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

4.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.90 ZMW 503

$102 Ft 33.1K

-75.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.39 ZMW 351

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

-59.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.90 ZMW 907

$110 Ft 35.6K

-59.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.1 ZMW 1,316

$121 Ft 39.1K

-46.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 274.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 521.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 394.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 559.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

357.41%

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

Last update for Kafue: October 31, 2026

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kafue

$233 41.3%

Budapest

$260 15.8% 11.6% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kafue

$133 23.6%

Budapest

$226 13.7% 69.5% $93

Eating Out

Kafue

$108 19.1%

Budapest

$220 13.4% 104% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Kafue

$69 12.2%

Budapest

$169 10.3% 147% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Kafue

$12 * 2.1%

Budapest

$91 5.5% 679% $79

Getting Around

Kafue

$9.6 * 1.7%

Budapest

$43 2.6% 351% $34

Accommodation & Living

Kafue

- * 0%

Budapest

$638 38.8%

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 $29 in Kafue versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $260 – making Kafue the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Kafue

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

08:00 8:00 AM

1 h behind Kafue

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,174

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 4.95 USD

100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 20.21 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.95 USD). 1 EUR = 22.69 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kafue Budapest 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Kafue
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

Kafue vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 192%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $846 per month in Kafue and $2,471 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 $29 in Kafue and $61 in Budapest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Budapest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Kafue, where all-in costs run around $564, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Kafue it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Budapest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $564 in Kafue to $1,647 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.