Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kimberley and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kimberley: $1,124 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kimberley, South Africa
Budapest, Hungary
Kimberley
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,124
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,647
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,124 per month in Kimberley vs $1,647 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Kimberley $1,124
  • Budapest $1,647

A couple spends around $1,898 per month in Kimberley vs $2,567 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Kimberley $1,898
  • Budapest $2,567

A family of three spends $2,671 per month in Kimberley vs $3,488 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Kimberley $2,671
  • Budapest $3,488

Kimberley is about 32% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Kimberley sits 17% below the global median, while Budapest is 22% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kimberley
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.80 R 193
$13.63 Ft 4,407
-13.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.79 R 603
$60.7 Ft 19.6K
-39.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.94 R 97.3
$10.02 Ft 3,239
-40.72%
Cappuccino
$2.96 R 48.47
$3.33 Ft 1,075
-11.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 R 21.74
$2.12 Ft 684
-37.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 R 20.85
$1.80 Ft 581
-29.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.69 R 44.14
$3.61 Ft 1,166
-25.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 R 43.37
$3.59 Ft 1,160
-26.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kimberley
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.52 R 24.85
$1.12 Ft 361
35.71%
White Bread (500g)
$1.11 R 18.21
$1.93 Ft 623
-42.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.95 R 48.30
$2.49 Ft 804
18.47%
Eggs
$2.92 R 47.84
$3.94 Ft 1,275
-25.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.58 R 108
$11.28 Ft 3,646
-41.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.82 R 95.3
$6.73 Ft 2,177
-13.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.45 R 139
$14.44 Ft 4,670
-41.48%
Apples (1kg)
$2.29 R 37.47
$1.86 Ft 601
23.12%
Banana (1kg)
$2.42 R 39.72
$2.04 Ft 658
18.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 R 28.07
$2.29 Ft 740
-25.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.20 R 52.4
$3.99 Ft 1,290
-19.80%
Potato (1kg)
$1.37 R 22.46
$0.94 Ft 304
45.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.41 R 23.07
$1.02 Ft 330
38.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.39 R 22.70
$1.65 Ft 534
-15.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.36
$0.68 Ft 221
38.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.24 R 53.2
$7.81 Ft 2,526
-58.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.29 R 103
$6.02 Ft 1,946
4.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.24 R 36.67
$1.29 Ft 418
73.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 R 45.47
$2.02 Ft 655
37.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Kimberley
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.75 R 28.64
$1.50 Ft 484
16.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$32.79 R 537
$27.13 Ft 8,769
20.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.83 R 13.57
$3.36 Ft 1,085
-75.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.80 R 13.06
$1.37 Ft 444
-41.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.47 R 204
$19.96 Ft 6,451
-37.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 R 22.93
$1.86 Ft 603
-24.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.6K R 632.0K
$28.5K Ft 9.2M
35.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.5K R 613.8K
$33.4K Ft 10.8M
12.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kimberley
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$107 R 1,754
$178 Ft 57.6K
-39.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.99 R 573
$23.58 Ft 7,623
48.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.80 R 685
$24.12 Ft 7,797
73.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kimberley
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.98 R 376
$69.7 Ft 22.5K
-67.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.02 R 181
$17.03 Ft 5,505
-35.29%
Cinema Ticket
$6.76 R 111
$10.48 Ft 3,388
-35.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kimberley
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$235 R 3,851
$625 Ft 202.1K
-62.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,928 R 113.5K
$19.6K Ft 6.4M
-64.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kimberley
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.1 R 887
$102 Ft 33.0K
-46.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.13 R 510
$43.41 Ft 14.0K
-28.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.6 R 1,615
$110 Ft 35.5K
-10.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.7 R 1,420
$121 Ft 39.0K
-28.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kimberley
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$263 R 4,307
$845 Ft 273.3K
-68.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$335 R 5,489
$638 Ft 206.4K
-47.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$624 R 10.2K
$1,609 Ft 520.1K
-61.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$942 R 15.4K
$1,217 Ft 393.5K
-22.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$871 R 14.3K
$5,555 Ft 1.8M
-84.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$679 R 11.1K
$3,898 Ft 1.3M
-82.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kimberley
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$941 R 15.4K
$1,724 Ft 557.5K
-45.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.92
6.34
72.24%

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

Last update for Kimberley: November 1, 2026

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kimberley
$335
Budapest
$638 90.6% $303
Groceries & Markets
Kimberley
$226
Budapest
$260 15.1% $34
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kimberley
$184
Budapest
$226 22.9% $42
Eating Out
Kimberley
$177
Budapest
$220 24.3% $43
Clothing & Footwear
Kimberley
$122
Budapest
$169 39% $47
Getting Around
Kimberley
$45
Budapest
$43 2.8% $1.3
Sport & Entertainment
Kimberley
$36
Budapest
$91 148% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $263 in Kimberley 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 run about 83% higher in Budapest. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Kimberley versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $260 – making Kimberley the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Kimberley
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
02:36 2:36 AM
01:36 1:36 AM
1 h behind Kimberley
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
225,160
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kimberley Budapest 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kimberley
  • 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
Kimberley vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kimberley cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,687 per month in Kimberley and $2,471 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kimberley, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $263 there versus $845 in Budapest.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 17% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $235 per month in Kimberley and $625 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Kimberley or in Budapest?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kimberley, where all-in costs run around $1,124, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Kimberley it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Kimberley or Budapest more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Kimberley – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Kimberley. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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