Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madeira and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in Madeira and in Budapest: $1,597 and $1,621 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
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Madeira Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,597

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,597 per month in Madeira vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Madeira $1,597
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,383 per month in Madeira vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Madeira $2,383
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,169 per month in Madeira vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Madeira $3,169
Budapest $3,489

Madeira is about 2% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Madeira and Budapest sit above the global median – Madeira by 19%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 €10.37

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-16.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.16 €41.19

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-23.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 €8.14

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-8.43%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.88

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-37.87%

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

$1.85 €1.65

$2.13 Ft 692

-13.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.87 Ft 608

-23.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 €2.03

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-39.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 €3.16

$3.57 Ft 1,162

-0.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.13 Ft 368

-3.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.84 Ft 599

-16.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.39 Ft 777

-33.05%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.67

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-21.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 €10.29

$11.33 Ft 3,686

1.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.69 €6.86

$6.74 Ft 2,192

14.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 €12.49

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-4.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.84 Ft 597

27.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.01 Ft 653

-29.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.36 Ft 767

-23.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-33.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$0.96 Ft 313

57.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.03 Ft 334

86.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.56 Ft 509

-0.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.66 Ft 216

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 €5.39

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-24.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 €4.66

$6.01 Ft 1,954

-13.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.30 Ft 421

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.08 Ft 676

11.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.50 Ft 489

57.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.32 €37.77

$27.61 Ft 8,982

53.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 €3.82

$3.30 Ft 1,074

29.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 €0.71

$1.30 Ft 424

-39.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.53 €15.65

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-11.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.81 Ft 591

4.97%

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

$35.4K €31.6K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

20.60%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

14.58%

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

$134 €120

$170 Ft 55.3K

-21.15%

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

$20.90 €18.65

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-12.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.95 €37.44

$23.42 Ft 7,621

79.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.41 €38.74

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-34.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.37 €15.50

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-9.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.35 €7.45

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-12.29%

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

$473 €422

$537 Ft 174.6K

-11.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,183 €7,303

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-50.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 €66.7

$101 Ft 33.0K

-26.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 €34.01

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-11.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 €82.0

$113 Ft 36.7K

-18.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.8 €82.8

$119 Ft 38.6K

-21.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 €816

$805 Ft 262.0K

13.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 €640

$629 Ft 204.7K

14.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 €1,291

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-6.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 €1,021

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-1.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,012 €2,688

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-46.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,356 €2,103

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-40.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

6.43

-22.08%

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

Last update for Madeira: 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

Madeira

$717 45.1%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 12.3% $88

Groceries & Markets

Madeira

$246 15.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 4.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madeira

$197 12.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 10.4% $20

Eating Out

Madeira

$177 11.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 26.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Madeira

$134 8.4%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 26.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Madeira

$60 3.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 41.9% $25

Getting Around

Madeira

$60 3.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 27.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $914 in Madeira 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Madeira versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $258 – making Madeira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Madeira

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h ahead of Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154

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 = 325 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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Between locations

Madeira Budapest 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Madeira
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

Madeira vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,395 per month in Madeira 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 Madeira, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Madeira. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $473 per month in Madeira and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Madeira, where all-in costs run around $1,597, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Madeira it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Madeira – 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 Madeira. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.