Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,312 in London, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,312

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,312 per month in London vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

London $2,312
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,278 per month in London vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

London $3,278
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,243 per month in London vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

London $4,243
Budapest $3,489

London costs about 43% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both London and Budapest sit above the global median – London by 73%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 CA$30.24

$13.99 Ft 4,551

51.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 CA$89.3

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

3.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.36 CA$17.61

$9.96 Ft 3,241

24.10%

Cappuccino

$3.65 CA$5.20

$3.38 Ft 1,100

7.99%

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

$2.18 CA$3.10

$2.13 Ft 692

2.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 CA$2.94

$1.87 Ft 608

10.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.47 CA$9.22

$3.75 Ft 1,221

72.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CA$9.23

$3.57 Ft 1,162

81.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 CA$2.78

$1.13 Ft 368

72.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 CA$3.72

$1.84 Ft 599

41.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.94 CA$5.62

$2.39 Ft 777

64.85%

Eggs

$3.74 CA$5.34

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-2.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.83 CA$14.02

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-13.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.08

$6.74 Ft 2,192

67.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 CA$21.40

$14.69 Ft 4,780

2.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.24 CA$6.04

$1.84 Ft 597

130.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 CA$1.84

$2.01 Ft 653

-35.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 CA$5.49

$2.36 Ft 767

63.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.79

$3.77 Ft 1,226

7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 CA$4.53

$0.96 Ft 313

230.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.31

$1.03 Ft 334

193.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 CA$3.68

$1.56 Ft 509

65.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 CA$2.09

$0.66 Ft 216

121.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 CA$17.08

$7.96 Ft 2,591

50.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.50 CA$17.82

$6.01 Ft 1,954

107.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 CA$3.43

$1.30 Ft 421

84.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 CA$4.09

$2.08 Ft 676

37.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 CA$3.22

$1.50 Ft 489

50.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 CA$110

$27.61 Ft 8,982

180.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 CA$3.58

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-23.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 CA$2.29

$1.30 Ft 424

23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.83 CA$31.11

$19.78 Ft 6,436

10.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.67

$1.81 Ft 591

-35.36%

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

$27.8K CA$39.6K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-5.30%

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

$22.7K CA$32.4K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-33.30%

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

$135 CA$193

$170 Ft 55.3K

-20.52%

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

$39.06 CA$55.7

$23.98 Ft 7,802

62.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.4 CA$80.3

$23.42 Ft 7,621

140.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.00 CA$52.7

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-44.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.27 CA$40.29

$19.18 Ft 6,239

47.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 CA$14.84

$9.52 Ft 3,098

9.35%

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

$407 CA$579

$537 Ft 174.6K

-24.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K CA$28.8K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

21.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 CA$74.1

$101 Ft 33.0K

-48.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.12 CA$54.3

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-11.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 CA$118

$113 Ft 36.7K

-26.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 CA$129

$119 Ft 38.6K

-23.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 CA$1,810

$805 Ft 262.0K

57.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 CA$1,636

$629 Ft 204.7K

82.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 CA$2,870

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

29.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 CA$2,428

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

45.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,440 CA$4,904

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-38.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,519 CA$5,015

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-11.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,882 CA$4,108

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

77.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

6.43

-26.59%

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

Last update for London: 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

London

$1.1K 49.4%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 45.2% $518

Groceries & Markets

London

$358 15.4%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 28.1% $101

Eating Out

London

$313 13.5%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 28.3% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$230 9.9%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 5.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

London

$119 5.1%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 42.6% $51

Getting Around

London

$97 4.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 55.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

London

$58 2.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 47.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,270 in London 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 77% higher in London, 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 $63.0 in London versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 London

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:17 3:17 AM

09:17 9:17 AM

6 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

383,822

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 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 CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Budapest 7,290 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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

London vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,469 per month in London 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 180% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $407 per month in London 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 London at $2,312. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in London 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, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.