Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mackay and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,222 in Mackay, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Mackay
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Mackay Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Mackay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,222

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,222 per month in Mackay vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Mackay $2,222
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,485 per month in Mackay vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Mackay $3,485
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,748 per month in Mackay vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Mackay $4,748
Budapest $3,489

Mackay costs about 37% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mackay and Budapest sit above the global median – Mackay by 66%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.39 A$24.89

$13.99 Ft 4,551

24.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 A$108

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

25.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.53 A$17.93

$9.96 Ft 3,241

25.80%

Cappuccino

$4.14 A$5.92

$3.38 Ft 1,100

22.49%

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

$3.38 A$4.84

$2.13 Ft 692

58.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 A$3.87

$1.87 Ft 608

44.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 A$9.81

$3.75 Ft 1,221

82.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 A$10.10

$3.57 Ft 1,162

97.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 A$2.77

$1.13 Ft 368

70.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 A$3.72

$1.84 Ft 599

41.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.09

$2.39 Ft 777

19.67%

Eggs

$5.65 A$8.09

$3.83 Ft 1,245

47.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 A$13.78

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-15.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 A$12.07

$6.74 Ft 2,192

25.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.28 A$23.29

$14.69 Ft 4,780

10.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 A$5.18

$1.84 Ft 597

96.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.28

$2.01 Ft 653

48.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.27

$2.36 Ft 767

26.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.62 A$9.48

$3.77 Ft 1,226

75.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.58

$0.96 Ft 313

160.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.67

$1.03 Ft 334

149.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 A$4.41

$1.56 Ft 509

97.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 A$4.42

$0.66 Ft 216

368.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.90 A$61.4

$7.96 Ft 2,591

438.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 A$12.20

$6.01 Ft 1,954

41.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.99 A$7.14

$1.30 Ft 421

283.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 A$8.96

$2.08 Ft 676

200.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 A$3.57

$1.50 Ft 489

66.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 A$101

$27.61 Ft 8,982

156.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.81 A$8.32

$3.30 Ft 1,074

76.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 A$3.02

$1.30 Ft 424

62.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.59 A$49.50

$19.78 Ft 6,436

74.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 A$1.73

$1.81 Ft 591

-33.15%

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

$27.2K A$38.9K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-7.26%

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

$35.4K A$50.7K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

3.85%

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

$230 A$329

$170 Ft 55.3K

35.09%

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

$29.33 A$41.97

$23.98 Ft 7,802

22.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.5 A$114

$23.42 Ft 7,621

239.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 A$74.1

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-21.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.63 A$29.52

$19.18 Ft 6,239

7.56%

Cinema Ticket

$16.88 A$24.15

$9.52 Ft 3,098

77.31%

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

$1,856 A$2,656

$537 Ft 174.6K

245.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,749 A$9,658

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-59.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 A$101

$101 Ft 33.0K

-30.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 A$73.0

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

18.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 A$181

$113 Ft 36.7K

12.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 A$150

$119 Ft 38.6K

-11.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 A$1,355

$805 Ft 262.0K

17.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$802 A$1,148

$629 Ft 204.7K

27.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,868 A$2,674

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

20.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 A$2,553

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

52.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 A$4,459

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-44.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,738 A$2,487

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-56.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,620 A$8,043

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

245.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

6.43

-12.44%

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

Last update for Mackay: 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

Mackay

$802 36.9%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 21.6% $173

Groceries & Markets

Mackay

$397 18.2%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 35.1% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mackay

$338 15.5%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 35.8% $121

Eating Out

Mackay

$299 13.7%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 25% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Mackay

$159 7.3%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 6.5% $10

Getting Around

Mackay

$97 4.5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 55.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Mackay

$86 3.9%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $947 in Mackay 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 246% higher in Mackay, 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 $75.0 in Mackay versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $397 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mackay

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:02 10:02 PM

14:02 2:02 PM

8 h behind Mackay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,455

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 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 AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Mackay Budapest 14,700 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mackay
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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

Mackay vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mackay is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,333 per month in Mackay 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 156% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,856 per month in Mackay 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 Mackay at $2,222. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mackay 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, Mackay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.