Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lerwick and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,368 in Lerwick, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Lerwick
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Lerwick Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Lerwick

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,368

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,368 per month in Lerwick vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Lerwick $2,368
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $3,415 per month in Lerwick vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Lerwick $3,415
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $4,462 per month in Lerwick vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Lerwick $4,462
Budapest $3,483

Lerwick costs about 44% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lerwick and Budapest sit above the global median – Lerwick by 75%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.15 £15.11

$14.04 Ft 4,536

43.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.5 £73.9

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

61.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 £7.76

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-0.19%

Cappuccino

$5.40 £4.05

$3.46 Ft 1,117

56.07%

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

$2.25 £1.69

$2.07 Ft 669

8.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.77 Ft 572

-7.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.45 £4.84

$3.69 Ft 1,191

74.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 £4.40

$3.80 Ft 1,229

54.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.16 Ft 374

33.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.85 Ft 598

-8.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 £1.66

$2.40 Ft 776

-7.92%

Eggs

$4.02 £3.02

$3.99 Ft 1,289

0.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 £7.03

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-17.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.57 £6.43

$6.87 Ft 2,221

24.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 £10.84

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-0.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.27

$1.88 Ft 607

61.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$2.14 Ft 693

-29.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 £2.07

$2.30 Ft 744

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 £2.46

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-18.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.02 Ft 329

79.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$0.99 Ft 320

72.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.95

$1.58 Ft 510

-20.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 £1.16

$0.70 Ft 225

121.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.02 £18.02

$8.03 Ft 2,594

199.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.48 £7.86

$6.18 Ft 1,997

69.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 £2.25

$1.24 Ft 401

141.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.46

$2.06 Ft 666

58.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 £2.30

$1.59 Ft 513

93.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.1 £62.3

$27.52 Ft 8,893

201.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.23 £3.18

$3.43 Ft 1,110

23.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

$1.33 Ft 431

76.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.03 £18.03

$20.45 Ft 6,607

17.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 £1.75

$1.93 Ft 624

21.24%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

33.43%

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

$34.5K £25.9K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-0.75%

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

$309 £232

$175 Ft 56.4K

77.26%

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

$19.33 £14.50

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-18.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.26 £33.95

$23.60 Ft 7,625

91.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 £39.61

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-23.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 £9.99

$10.31 Ft 3,333

29.19%

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

$1,392 £1,045

$535 Ft 172.9K

160.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K £18.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

45.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 £66.5

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-11.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 £37.93

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

16.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 £66.8

$112 Ft 36.1K

-20.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 £82.8

$119 Ft 38.4K

-7.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 £834

$832 Ft 268.8K

33.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 £777

$629 Ft 203.3K

64.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,395 £1,797

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

51.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,523 £1,143

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

27.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,646 £3,486

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-18.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,438 £2,579

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-12.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

6.45

-21.09%

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

Last update for Lerwick: October 18, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lerwick

$1K 43.7%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 39.3% $407

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lerwick

$374 15.8%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 40.7% $152

Eating Out

Lerwick

$317 13.4%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 28.5% $90

Groceries & Markets

Lerwick

$298 12.6%

Budapest

$262 16% 12.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Lerwick

$152 6.4%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 10.4% $16

Getting Around

Lerwick

$111 4.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 60.5% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Lerwick

$79 3.4%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 12.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,112 in Lerwick 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Lerwick versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $262 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Lerwick

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

22:22 10:22 PM

1 h ahead of Lerwick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

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 20, 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 20, 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

Lerwick Budapest 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lerwick
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

Lerwick vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lerwick is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,552 per month in Lerwick 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 202% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,392 per month in Lerwick 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 Lerwick at $2,368. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lerwick 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, Lerwick makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.