Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kirkwall and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,121 in Kirkwall, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Kirkwall
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Kirkwall Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Kirkwall

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,121

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,121 per month in Kirkwall vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Kirkwall $2,121
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $3,026 per month in Kirkwall vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Kirkwall $3,026
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Kirkwall vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Kirkwall $3,931
Budapest $3,483

Kirkwall costs about 29% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kirkwall and Budapest sit above the global median – Kirkwall by 57%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.63 £17.73

$14.04 Ft 4,536

68.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.8 £71.1

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

55.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 £7.93

$10.37 Ft 3,351

1.93%

Cappuccino

$3.92 £2.94

$3.46 Ft 1,117

13.29%

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

$3.26 £2.44

$2.07 Ft 669

57.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 £0.98

$1.77 Ft 572

-25.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.20 £4.65

$3.69 Ft 1,191

68.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.47 £6.36

$3.80 Ft 1,229

122.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 £0.59

$1.16 Ft 374

-31.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.85 Ft 598

-14.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 £1.54

$2.40 Ft 776

-14.58%

Eggs

$3.22 £2.42

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-19.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.59 £4.95

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-42.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 £6.73

$6.87 Ft 2,221

30.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.90 £11.92

$14.49 Ft 4,682

9.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.88 Ft 607

17.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 £1.48

$2.14 Ft 693

-7.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 £1.18

$2.30 Ft 744

-31.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 £0.99

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-67.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 £0.83

$1.02 Ft 329

8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 £0.82

$0.99 Ft 320

10.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 £0.58

$1.58 Ft 510

-51.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 £0.81

$0.70 Ft 225

54.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.10 £15.08

$8.03 Ft 2,594

150.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 £6.89

$6.18 Ft 1,997

48.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 £2.03

$1.24 Ft 401

118.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 £2.16

$2.06 Ft 666

39.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$10.51 £7.89

$1.59 Ft 513

561.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.4

$27.52 Ft 8,893

289.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 £3.90

$3.43 Ft 1,110

51.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 £1.93

$1.33 Ft 431

93.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.06 £20.30

$20.45 Ft 6,607

32.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.93 Ft 624

6.22%

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

$37.8K £28.4K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

29.89%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

18.50%

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

$282 £212

$175 Ft 56.4K

61.78%

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

$30.12 £22.60

$23.62 Ft 7,631

27.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.04 £24.79

$23.60 Ft 7,625

40.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.73 £31.31

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-39.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 £8.60

$10.31 Ft 3,333

11.15%

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

$1,237 £928

$535 Ft 172.9K

131.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 £68.7

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-8.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.72 £32.80

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

1.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.3

$112 Ft 36.1K

-14.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 £103

$119 Ft 38.4K

15.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 £701

$832 Ft 268.8K

12.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$792 £594

$629 Ft 203.3K

25.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 £887

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-25.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$966 £725

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-19.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,914 £1,436

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

11.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.07

6.45

-21.40%

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

Last update for Kirkwall: October 19, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kirkwall

$792 37.3%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 20.5% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kirkwall

$346 16.3%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 35.8% $124

Eating Out

Kirkwall

$334 15.8%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 32.2% $108

Groceries & Markets

Kirkwall

$252 11.9%

Budapest

$262 16% 3.8% $9.7

Getting Around

Kirkwall

$167 7.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 73.7% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Kirkwall

$165 7.8%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 1.6% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Kirkwall

$65 3.1%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 38.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $935 in Kirkwall versus $832 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 12% higher in Kirkwall, 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 $95.0 in Kirkwall versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $252 in Kirkwall vs $262 in Budapest – so Kirkwall wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Kirkwall

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

20:32 8:32 PM

1 h ahead of Kirkwall

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kirkwall Budapest 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Kirkwall
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

Kirkwall vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kirkwall is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,182 per month in Kirkwall and $2,461 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 289% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,237 per month in Kirkwall and $535 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 $1,641, than in Kirkwall at $2,121. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kirkwall 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, Kirkwall makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.