Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kilkenny and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,358 in Kilkenny, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Kilkenny
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Kilkenny Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Kilkenny

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,358

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,358 per month in Kilkenny vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Kilkenny $2,358
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,276 per month in Kilkenny vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Kilkenny $3,276
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,194 per month in Kilkenny vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Kilkenny $4,194
Budapest $3,429

Kilkenny costs about 46% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kilkenny and Budapest sit above the global median – Kilkenny by 75%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.47 €14.65

$13.94 Ft 4,503

18.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €59.9

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

10.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 €8.79

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-3.04%

Cappuccino

$4.23 €3.76

$3.26 Ft 1,055

29.75%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$2.14 Ft 690

35.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.78 Ft 577

18.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.29 €5.60

$3.71 Ft 1,198

69.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.30 €5.60

$3.77 Ft 1,217

67.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.15 Ft 371

12.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.79 Ft 578

32.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.49 Ft 804

-36.55%

Eggs

$4.23 €3.76

$3.90 Ft 1,261

8.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.28 €9.14

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-7.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.46 €4.86

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-17.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.76 €6.01

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-53.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.83 Ft 591

18.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.05 Ft 661

4.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.37 Ft 765

27.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 €2.52

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-27.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.99 Ft 320

21.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.00 Ft 322

9.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.58 Ft 511

-46.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.67 Ft 216

182.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.80 €17.61

$7.96 Ft 2,572

148.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 €12.48

$6.22 Ft 2,009

125.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.52

$1.27 Ft 411

211.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 €4.05

$2.03 Ft 654

124.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.52 Ft 490

84.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 €4.52

$3.31 Ft 1,070

53.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.37 Ft 442

8.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.7 €50.4

$19.83 Ft 6,406

185.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.82 Ft 589

8.79%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

28.30%

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

$37.5K €33.4K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

11.02%

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

$177 €157

$171 Ft 55.3K

3.34%

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

$20.87 €18.56

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-11.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 €44.67

$23.29 Ft 7,526

115.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.6 €61.9

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

3.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.03 €19.60

$18.89 Ft 6,104

16.62%

Cinema Ticket

$16.42 €14.61

$9.30 Ft 3,004

76.56%

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

$896 €797

$533 Ft 172.3K

67.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 €88.6

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-0.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.46 €32.43

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-16.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.2

$110 Ft 35.7K

-0.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 €85.6

$119 Ft 38.4K

-19.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 €1,325

$830 Ft 268.3K

79.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 €1,136

$622 Ft 200.9K

105.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,593 €2,306

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

62.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 €1,602

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

53.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,102 €7,206

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

38.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,248 €1,999

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-42.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,796 €2,487

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

69.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

6.45

-42.95%

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

Last update for Kilkenny: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kilkenny

$1.3K 54.2%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 51.3% $655

Groceries & Markets

Kilkenny

$277 11.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 6.9% $19

Eating Out

Kilkenny

$276 11.7%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 19.3% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kilkenny

$248 10.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 12.1% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Kilkenny

$154 6.5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Kilkenny

$102 4.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 15.9% $16

Getting Around

Kilkenny

$24 * 1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 86.4% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,490 in Kilkenny 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 69% higher in Kilkenny, 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 $67.0 in Kilkenny versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Kilkenny

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

13:29 1:29 PM

1 h ahead of Kilkenny

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,500

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

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Kilkenny Budapest 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Kilkenny
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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

Kilkenny vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kilkenny is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,537 per month in Kilkenny 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Kilkenny and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Kilkenny, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Kilkenny at $2,358. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kilkenny 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, Kilkenny makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.