Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leeds and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,209 in Leeds, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Leeds
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Leeds Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Leeds

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,209

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,209 per month in Leeds vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Leeds $2,209
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,325 per month in Leeds vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Leeds $3,325
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,441 per month in Leeds vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Leeds $4,441
Budapest $3,489

Leeds costs about 36% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Leeds and Budapest sit above the global median – Leeds by 65%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.75 £15.68

$13.99 Ft 4,551

48.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.9 £58.2

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

27.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 £6.82

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-9.34%

Cappuccino

$5.09 £3.85

$3.38 Ft 1,100

50.59%

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

$3.69 £2.79

$2.13 Ft 692

73.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 £2.05

$1.87 Ft 608

45.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.42 £5.61

$3.75 Ft 1,221

97.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 £6.32

$3.57 Ft 1,162

134.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.13 Ft 368

43.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 £1.10

$1.84 Ft 599

-20.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 £2.14

$2.39 Ft 777

18.41%

Eggs

$4.09 £3.09

$3.83 Ft 1,245

6.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 £8.25

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-3.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 £6.59

$6.74 Ft 2,192

29.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.85 £11.98

$14.69 Ft 4,780

7.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.26

$1.84 Ft 597

62.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 £1.43

$2.01 Ft 653

-5.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 £2.14

$2.36 Ft 767

19.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 £2.61

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-8.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$0.96 Ft 313

67.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 £1.23

$1.03 Ft 334

58.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 £1.04

$1.56 Ft 509

-11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 £1.22

$0.66 Ft 216

143.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.91 £15.05

$7.96 Ft 2,591

150.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 £7.90

$6.01 Ft 1,954

74.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 £2.11

$1.30 Ft 421

115.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.30

$2.08 Ft 676

46.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 £2.48

$1.50 Ft 489

118.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 £92.8

$27.61 Ft 8,982

344.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 £2.41

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-3.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 £1.51

$1.30 Ft 424

53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.82 £13.46

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-9.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.56

$1.81 Ft 591

13.81%

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

$37.6K £28.4K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

28.11%

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

$41.1K £31.0K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

20.39%

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

$255 £193

$170 Ft 55.3K

50.10%

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

$16.90 £12.77

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-29.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.79 £31.58

$23.42 Ft 7,621

78.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.24 £31.16

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-37.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.18 £18.27

$19.18 Ft 6,239

26.07%

Cinema Ticket

$13.40 £10.13

$9.52 Ft 3,098

40.76%

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

$1,845 £1,394

$537 Ft 174.6K

243.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K £16.7K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

32.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 £66.5

$101 Ft 33.0K

-13.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.77 £34.58

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

6.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 £66.5

$113 Ft 36.7K

-21.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.9 £64.9

$119 Ft 38.6K

-27.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 £926

$805 Ft 262.0K

52.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$914 £690

$629 Ft 204.7K

45.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,307 £1,743

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

48.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 £1,230

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

39.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,758 £2,840

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-33.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,518 £2,659

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-11.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,278 £2,477

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

101.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

6.43

-22.40%

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

Last update for Leeds: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leeds

$914 41%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 31.1% $284

Eating Out

Leeds

$334 15%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 32.8% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leeds

$314 14.1%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 30.7% $96

Groceries & Markets

Leeds

$311 14%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 17.2% $53

Getting Around

Leeds

$149 6.7%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 70.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Leeds

$138 6.2%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 22.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Leeds

$68 3.1%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 25.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,225 in Leeds versus $805 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 102% higher in Leeds, 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 $77.0 in Leeds versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Leeds

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

08:18 8:18 AM

1 h ahead of Leeds

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

766,399

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Leeds Budapest 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Leeds
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

Leeds vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Leeds is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,314 per month in Leeds and $2,432 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 345% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,845 per month in Leeds and $537 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 $1,621, than in Leeds at $2,209. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Leeds 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, Leeds makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.