Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lewisham and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $3,053 in Lewisham, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lewisham
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,053
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,053 per month in Lewisham vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Lewisham $3,053
  • Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $4,886 per month in Lewisham vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Lewisham $4,886
  • Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $6,719 per month in Lewisham vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Lewisham $6,719
  • Budapest $3,429

Lewisham costs about 89% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lewisham and Budapest sit above the global median – Lewisham by 126%, Budapest by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lewisham
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.43 £17.58
$13.94 Ft 4,503
68.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.9 £60.0
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
30.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.40 £7.81
$10.19 Ft 3,291
2.06%
Cappuccino
$4.85 £3.64
$3.26 Ft 1,055
48.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 £1.53
$2.14 Ft 690
-4.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 £1.30
$1.78 Ft 577
-2.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.54 £4.91
$3.71 Ft 1,198
76.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.83 £4.37
$3.77 Ft 1,217
54.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lewisham
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 £1.26
$1.15 Ft 371
46.09%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 £1.40
$1.79 Ft 578
4.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.06 £1.55
$2.49 Ft 804
-17.27%
Eggs
$4.36 £3.27
$3.90 Ft 1,261
11.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.63 £4.97
$11.10 Ft 3,587
-40.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.23 £4.68
$6.62 Ft 2,139
-5.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.84 £8.89
$14.69 Ft 4,745
-19.40%
Apples (1kg)
$4.30 £3.23
$1.83 Ft 591
134.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 £1.06
$2.05 Ft 661
-30.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 £1.45
$2.37 Ft 765
-18.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.34 £2.50
$3.90 Ft 1,260
-14.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.35 £1.01
$0.99 Ft 320
36.36%
Onion (1kg)
$1.86 £1.40
$1.00 Ft 322
86.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 £0.57
$1.58 Ft 511
-52.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.49 £1.12
$0.67 Ft 216
122.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.34 £17.51
$7.96 Ft 2,572
193.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.44 £8.58
$6.22 Ft 2,009
83.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.23 £1.67
$1.27 Ft 411
75.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 £1.36
$2.03 Ft 654
-10.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Lewisham
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.05 £2.29
$1.52 Ft 490
100.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$156 £117
$28.02 Ft 9,053
455.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.46 £4.85
$3.31 Ft 1,070
95.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.37 Ft 442
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.34 £22.76
$19.83 Ft 6,406
53.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.07 £1.55
$1.82 Ft 589
13.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.7K
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
28.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.0K £30.0K
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
18.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lewisham
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$390 £292
$171 Ft 55.3K
127.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.02 £18.02
$23.51 Ft 7,596
2.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.07 £31.56
$23.29 Ft 7,526
80.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lewisham
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.31 £33.24
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
-34.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.89 Ft 6,104
-
Cinema Ticket
$16.82 £12.62
$9.30 Ft 3,004
80.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lewisham
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$804 £603
$533 Ft 172.3K
50.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$80.6K £60.5K
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
381.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lewisham
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$153 £115
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
53.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$65.7 £49.26
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
50.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$136 £102
$110 Ft 35.7K
23.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$126 £94.6
$119 Ft 38.4K
5.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lewisham
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,218 £1,664
$830 Ft 268.3K
167.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,524 £1,143
$622 Ft 200.9K
145.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,403 £4,053
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
239.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,541 £2,656
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
202.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lewisham
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,136 £2,353
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
89.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.54
6.45
-14.11%

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

Last update for Lewisham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lewisham
$1.5K
Budapest
$622 59.2% $902
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lewisham
$456
Budapest
$218 52.2% $238
Eating Out
Lewisham
$336
Budapest
$223 33.7% $113
Groceries & Markets
Lewisham
$268
Budapest
$258 3.9% $10
Clothing & Footwear
Lewisham
$217
Budapest
$168 22.6% $49
Getting Around
Lewisham
$174 *
Budapest
$44 74.6% $130
Sport & Entertainment
Lewisham
$78
Budapest
$86 10.5% $8.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,218 in Lewisham 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 90% higher in Lewisham, 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 $80.0 in Lewisham versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Lewisham
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
16:06 4:06 PM
17:06 5:06 PM
1 h ahead of Lewisham
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
96,224
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lewisham Budapest 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lewisham
  • 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
Lewisham vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Budapest cheaper than Lewisham?
Yes – Lewisham is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,580 per month in Lewisham and $2,428 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 Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 455% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $804 per month in Lewisham and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Lewisham or in Budapest?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Lewisham at $3,053. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lewisham it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Lewisham or Budapest more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Lewisham or Budapest?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lewisham makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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