Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Limerick and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,813 in Limerick, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Limerick
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Limerick Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Limerick

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,813

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,813 per month in Limerick vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Limerick $2,813
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,997 per month in Limerick vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Limerick $3,997
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,180 per month in Limerick vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Limerick $5,180
Budapest $3,489

Limerick costs about 74% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Limerick and Budapest sit above the global median – Limerick by 110%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.53 €18.31

$13.99 Ft 4,555

46.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.3

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

38.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.33 €11.88

$9.96 Ft 3,244

33.84%

Cappuccino

$4.70 €4.19

$3.38 Ft 1,102

39.05%

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

$2.65 €2.36

$2.13 Ft 693

24.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.87 Ft 609

19.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.37 €6.57

$3.75 Ft 1,222

96.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 €6.04

$3.57 Ft 1,163

89.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.13 Ft 369

48.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.84 Ft 600

-1.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.39 Ft 777

-23.01%

Eggs

$5.24 €4.67

$3.83 Ft 1,246

36.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 €7.38

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-26.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.93 €11.53

$6.74 Ft 2,194

91.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 €12.47

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-4.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.23 €3.78

$1.84 Ft 598

129.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 €2.36

$2.01 Ft 654

31.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.93 €3.51

$2.36 Ft 767

66.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 €3.65

$3.77 Ft 1,227

8.49%

Potato (1kg)

$4.39 €3.91

$0.96 Ft 314

357.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.03 Ft 335

161.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.56 Ft 509

-17.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.04

$0.66 Ft 216

246.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.37 €18.17

$7.96 Ft 2,594

155.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.55 €14.76

$6.01 Ft 1,956

175.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 €2.77

$1.30 Ft 422

139.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 €3.57

$2.08 Ft 677

92.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.50 Ft 490

68.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.1 €53.6

$27.61 Ft 8,991

117.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 €4.96

$3.30 Ft 1,075

68.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.30 Ft 424

16.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$68.3 €60.9

$19.78 Ft 6,442

245.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.81 Ft 591

10.50%

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

$39.4K €35.1K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

34.29%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

13.52%

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

$166 €148

$170 Ft 55.3K

-2.16%

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

$20.92 €18.65

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-12.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.95 €40.08

$23.42 Ft 7,628

91.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 €44.66

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-24.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.53 €22.76

$19.18 Ft 6,245

33.11%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €10.02

$9.52 Ft 3,101

17.96%

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

$844 €752

$537 Ft 174.8K

57.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,204 €1,965

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-86.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.9 €79.2

$101 Ft 33.0K

-12.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.58 €32.61

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-14.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 €80.9

$113 Ft 36.7K

-19.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.6 €87.1

$119 Ft 38.7K

-17.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 €1,734

$805 Ft 262.2K

141.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 €1,463

$629 Ft 204.9K

160.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 €2,159

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

56.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 €1,991

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

91.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,420 €3,941

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-21.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,948 €3,520

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-0.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,243 €2,891

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

99.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

6.43

-44.01%

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

Last update for Limerick: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Limerick

$1.6K 57%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 61.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Limerick

$376 13.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 31.4% $118

Eating Out

Limerick

$330 11.5%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 32.1% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Limerick

$232 8.1%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 6.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Limerick

$141 4.9%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 19.7% $28

Getting Around

Limerick

$83 2.9%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 47.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Limerick

$73 2.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 17.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,945 in Limerick 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 99% higher in Limerick, 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 $83.0 in Limerick versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $376 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Limerick

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

03:52 3:52 AM

1 h ahead of Limerick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,192

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Limerick Budapest 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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

Limerick vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Limerick is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,220 per month in Limerick 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 118% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $844 per month in Limerick 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 Limerick at $2,813. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Limerick 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, Limerick makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.