Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lowestoft and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,576 in Lowestoft, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Lowestoft
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Lowestoft Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Lowestoft

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,576

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,576 per month in Lowestoft vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Lowestoft $2,576
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,791 per month in Lowestoft vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Lowestoft $3,791
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $5,006 per month in Lowestoft vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Lowestoft $5,006
Budapest $3,429

Lowestoft costs about 59% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lowestoft and Budapest sit above the global median – Lowestoft by 91%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.92

$13.94 Ft 4,503

90.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.2

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

70.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.06

$10.19 Ft 3,291

5.40%

Cappuccino

$5.59 £4.19

$3.26 Ft 1,055

71.47%

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

$2.93 £2.20

$2.14 Ft 690

36.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.78 Ft 577

16.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.44 £4.83

$3.71 Ft 1,198

73.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 £5.98

$3.77 Ft 1,217

111.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.15 Ft 371

60.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 £1.52

$1.79 Ft 578

12.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 £1.74

$2.49 Ft 804

-6.83%

Eggs

$5.10 £3.82

$3.90 Ft 1,261

30.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.51 £9.39

$11.10 Ft 3,587

12.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.46 £7.84

$6.62 Ft 2,139

58.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.32 £13.00

$14.69 Ft 4,745

17.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 £2.25

$1.83 Ft 591

63.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 £1.06

$2.05 Ft 661

-30.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.37 Ft 765

29.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 £2.53

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-13.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 £1.23

$0.99 Ft 320

65.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.00 Ft 322

74.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.58 Ft 511

-10.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 £1.39

$0.67 Ft 216

177.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.53 £17.66

$7.96 Ft 2,572

195.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.17 £9.88

$6.22 Ft 2,009

111.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.28

$1.27 Ft 411

139.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 £3.22

$2.03 Ft 654

111.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 £2.57

$1.52 Ft 490

125.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 £72.5

$28.02 Ft 9,053

245.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 £4.27

$3.31 Ft 1,070

71.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.37 £2.53

$1.37 Ft 442

145.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.61 £19.21

$19.83 Ft 6,406

29.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.55

$1.82 Ft 589

13.19%

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

$37.7K £28.3K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

26.55%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

19.90%

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

$376 £282

$171 Ft 55.3K

119.45%

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

$17.91 £13.44

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-23.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.63 £30.48

$23.29 Ft 7,526

74.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.94 £33.71

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-33.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 £13.30

$9.30 Ft 3,004

90.65%

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

$2,804 £2,103

$533 Ft 172.3K

425.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.3K £27.2K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

116.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.9

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

14.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

25.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 £93.6

$110 Ft 35.7K

13.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.1 £71.4

$119 Ft 38.4K

-20.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 £902

$830 Ft 268.3K

44.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 £769

$622 Ft 200.9K

64.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,122 £1,592

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

33.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 £1,222

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

39.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,941 £3,707

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-15.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,847 £2,886

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-1.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

6.45

-27.91%

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

Last update for Lowestoft: 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

Lowestoft

$1K 39.8%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 39.3% $403

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lowestoft

$434 16.9%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 49.8% $216

Eating Out

Lowestoft

$380 14.8%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 41.3% $157

Groceries & Markets

Lowestoft

$349 13.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 26.2% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Lowestoft

$175 6.8%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 4.2% $7.4

Getting Around

Lowestoft

$133 5.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 66.7% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Lowestoft

$80 3.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 7.1% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,203 in Lowestoft 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in Lowestoft versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Lowestoft

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

08:20 8:20 AM

1 h ahead of Lowestoft

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,358

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

Lowestoft Budapest 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lowestoft
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

Lowestoft vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lowestoft is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,864 per month in Lowestoft 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 245% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,804 per month in Lowestoft 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 Lowestoft at $2,576. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lowestoft 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, Lowestoft makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.