Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kathmandu and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kathmandu: $496 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
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Kathmandu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$496

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $496 per month in Kathmandu vs $1,647 in Budapest, rent included.

Kathmandu $496
Budapest $1,647

A couple spends around $795 per month in Kathmandu vs $2,567 in Budapest, rent included.

Kathmandu $795
Budapest $2,567

A family of three spends $1,094 per month in Kathmandu vs $3,488 in Budapest, rent included.

Kathmandu $1,094
Budapest $3,488

Kathmandu is about 70% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kathmandu sits 63% below the global median, while Budapest is 22% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.03 NPR 306

$13.63 Ft 4,419

-85.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.67 NPR 3,277

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

-64.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 NPR 1,198

$10.02 Ft 3,248

-20.96%

Cappuccino

$1.56 NPR 235

$3.33 Ft 1,078

-53.15%

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

$0.56 NPR 84.2

$2.12 Ft 686

-73.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 NPR 20.09

$1.80 Ft 583

-92.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.11 NPR 470

$3.61 Ft 1,169

-13.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 NPR 512

$3.59 Ft 1,163

-5.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 NPR 114

$1.12 Ft 362

-32.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 NPR 95.2

$1.93 Ft 624

-67.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 NPR 143

$2.49 Ft 806

-62.25%

Eggs

$1.70 NPR 257

$3.94 Ft 1,278

-56.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 NPR 1,164

$11.28 Ft 3,656

-31.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 NPR 480

$6.73 Ft 2,183

-52.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.72 NPR 865

$14.44 Ft 4,682

-60.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 NPR 306

$1.86 Ft 603

8.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 NPR 176

$2.04 Ft 660

-43.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 NPR 202

$2.29 Ft 742

-41.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 NPR 82.9

$3.99 Ft 1,294

-86.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 NPR 58.5

$0.94 Ft 305

-58.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 NPR 82.7

$1.02 Ft 331

-46.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 NPR 73.0

$1.65 Ft 536

-70.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 NPR 36.38

$0.68 Ft 221

-64.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.63 NPR 398

$7.81 Ft 2,533

-66.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.00 NPR 1,361

$6.02 Ft 1,952

49.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 NPR 333

$1.29 Ft 419

70.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 NPR 465

$2.02 Ft 656

52.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 NPR 33.17

$1.50 Ft 485

-85.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.88 NPR 1,494

$27.13 Ft 8,792

-63.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 NPR 255

$3.36 Ft 1,088

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 NPR 184

$1.37 Ft 445

-10.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 NPR 491

$19.96 Ft 6,468

-83.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 NPR 215

$1.86 Ft 604

-23.66%

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

$35.7K NPR 5.4M

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

25.35%

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

$36.2K NPR 5.5M

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

8.36%

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

$31.50 NPR 4,763

$178 Ft 57.8K

-82.32%

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

$3.53 NPR 534

$23.58 Ft 7,643

-85.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.96 NPR 1,354

$24.12 Ft 7,817

-62.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.91 NPR 3,766

$69.7 Ft 22.6K

-64.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.01 NPR 1,059

$17.03 Ft 5,520

-58.84%

Cinema Ticket

$2.89 NPR 437

$10.48 Ft 3,397

-72.42%

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

$67.5 NPR 10.2K

$625 Ft 202.6K

-89.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K NPR 2.3M

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

-24.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.64 NPR 3,272

$102 Ft 33.1K

-78.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.51 NPR 4,009

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

-38.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.1 NPR 9,536

$110 Ft 35.6K

-42.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.01 NPR 4,235

$121 Ft 39.1K

-76.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$233 NPR 35.3K

$845 Ft 274.0K

-72.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$109 NPR 16.4K

$638 Ft 206.9K

-82.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$444 NPR 67.1K

$1,609 Ft 521.5K

-72.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 NPR 31.3K

$1,217 Ft 394.5K

-82.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,324 NPR 351.4K

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

-58.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,315 NPR 198.8K

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

-66.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$285 NPR 43.1K

$1,724 Ft 559.0K

-83.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.98

6.34

57.41%

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

Last update for Kathmandu: 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

Kathmandu

$148 29.8%

Budapest

$260 15.8% 75.6% $112

Accommodation & Living

Kathmandu

$109 21.9%

Budapest

$638 38.8% 488% $530

Eating Out

Kathmandu

$84 16.9%

Budapest

$220 13.4% 163% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Kathmandu

$63 12.6%

Budapest

$169 10.3% 170% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kathmandu

$44 8.9%

Budapest

$226 13.7% 414% $182

Sport & Entertainment

Kathmandu

$31 6.2%

Budapest

$91 5.5% 195% $60

Getting Around

Kathmandu

$19 3.7%

Budapest

$43 2.6% 134% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $233 in Kathmandu versus $845 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 in Budapest are about 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Kathmandu versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $148 vs $260 – making Kathmandu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

07:36 7:36 AM

4 h 45 min behind Kathmandu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

975,000 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 NPR = 6.61 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.89 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to NPR – Nepalese Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇵 Nepalese Rupee (रु)

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 151 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.61 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.89 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 NPR in detail →

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Between locations

Kathmandu Budapest 6,040 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Kathmandu
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

Kathmandu vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 232%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $744 per month in Kathmandu and $2,471 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kathmandu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $233 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Kathmandu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $67 per month in Kathmandu and $625 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kathmandu, where all-in costs run around $496, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Kathmandu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kathmandu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Kathmandu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.