Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lincoln and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,210 in Lincoln, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln
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Lincoln Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Lincoln

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,210

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lincoln vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Lincoln $2,210
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,279 per month in Lincoln vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Lincoln $3,279
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,349 per month in Lincoln vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Lincoln $4,349
Budapest $3,429

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

Both Lincoln and Budapest sit above the global median – Lincoln by 64%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.56 £19.93

$13.94 Ft 4,503

90.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 £64.9

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

41.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.97 £5.98

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-21.79%

Cappuccino

$4.85 £3.64

$3.26 Ft 1,055

48.77%

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

$2.58 £1.94

$2.14 Ft 690

20.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 £1.48

$1.78 Ft 577

10.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.46 £4.85

$3.71 Ft 1,198

74.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 £4.97

$3.77 Ft 1,217

75.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.15 Ft 371

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 £1.10

$1.79 Ft 578

-18.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$2.49 Ft 804

-45.78%

Eggs

$3.20 £2.40

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-17.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.35 £6.26

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-24.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.39 £6.30

$6.62 Ft 2,139

26.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.31 £8.49

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-23.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 £2.72

$1.83 Ft 591

97.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 £0.93

$2.05 Ft 661

-39.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 £2.20

$2.37 Ft 765

24.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 £2.67

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-8.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$0.99 Ft 320

55.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 £0.90

$1.00 Ft 322

21.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 £0.78

$1.58 Ft 511

-34.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.01

$0.67 Ft 216

101.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.20 £17.41

$7.96 Ft 2,572

191.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.69 £8.02

$6.22 Ft 2,009

71.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 £2.47

$1.27 Ft 411

159.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 £2.66

$2.03 Ft 654

74.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.26 £3.20

$1.52 Ft 490

180.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.1

$28.02 Ft 9,053

281.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 £2.88

$3.31 Ft 1,070

16.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 £0.58

$1.37 Ft 442

-43.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.63 £14.73

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-1.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.82 Ft 589

7.69%

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

$38.5K £28.9K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

29.21%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

17.56%

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

$308 £231

$171 Ft 55.3K

79.99%

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

$16.78 £12.59

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-28.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.98 £29.24

$23.29 Ft 7,526

67.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.20 £19.65

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-61.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.26 £15.95

$18.89 Ft 6,104

12.55%

Cinema Ticket

$15.16 £11.38

$9.30 Ft 3,004

63.01%

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

$1,809 £1,358

$533 Ft 172.3K

239.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K £15.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

22.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 £85.1

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

13.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 £43.49

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

33.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 £65.3

$110 Ft 35.7K

-21.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 £73.8

$119 Ft 38.4K

-17.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 £822

$830 Ft 268.3K

31.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$864 £648

$622 Ft 200.9K

38.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,952 £1,464

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

22.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 £1,056

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

20.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,548 £1,911

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-56.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,205 £904

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-69.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,188 £2,391

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

93.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.88

6.45

-24.34%

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

Last update for Lincoln: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lincoln

$864 39.1%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 28% $242

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lincoln

$364 16.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 40.1% $146

Eating Out

Lincoln

$358 16.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 37.8% $135

Groceries & Markets

Lincoln

$275 12.4%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 6.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Lincoln

$161 7.3%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 4.4% $7

Getting Around

Lincoln

$132 6%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 66.4% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Lincoln

$57 2.6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 52.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,096 in Lincoln 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 93% higher in Lincoln, 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 $86.0 in Lincoln versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Lincoln

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

09:55 9:55 AM

1 h ahead of Lincoln

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

97,541

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 18, 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 18, 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

Lincoln Budapest 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lincoln
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

Lincoln vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lincoln 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 Lincoln and $2,428 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 281% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,809 per month in Lincoln and $533 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 $1,619, than in Lincoln at $2,210. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lincoln 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, Lincoln makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.