Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maidstone and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,566 in Maidstone, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Maidstone
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Maidstone Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Maidstone

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,566

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,566 per month in Maidstone vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Maidstone $2,566
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,939 per month in Maidstone vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Maidstone $3,939
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $5,313 per month in Maidstone vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Maidstone $5,313
Budapest $3,429

Maidstone costs about 58% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Maidstone and Budapest sit above the global median – Maidstone by 90%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.86 £15.65

$13.94 Ft 4,503

49.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.7 £69.6

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

51.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 £7.91

$10.19 Ft 3,291

3.53%

Cappuccino

$5.04 £3.78

$3.26 Ft 1,055

54.60%

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

$2.61 £1.96

$2.14 Ft 690

21.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.78 Ft 577

2.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.75 £5.07

$3.71 Ft 1,198

81.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 £4.40

$3.77 Ft 1,217

55.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.15 Ft 371

29.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.79 Ft 578

-21.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$2.49 Ft 804

-35.74%

Eggs

$3.12 £2.34

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 £6.98

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-16.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.85 £5.89

$6.62 Ft 2,139

18.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.82 £11.12

$14.69 Ft 4,745

0.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 £2.37

$1.83 Ft 591

72.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 £1.04

$2.05 Ft 661

-32.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 £1.76

$2.37 Ft 765

-0.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.14 £2.36

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-19.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$0.99 Ft 320

89.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.00 Ft 322

34.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 £0.84

$1.58 Ft 511

-29.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 £1.23

$0.67 Ft 216

146.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.76

$7.96 Ft 2,572

197.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.96 £8.97

$6.22 Ft 2,009

92.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 £1.78

$1.27 Ft 411

86.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 £3.09

$2.03 Ft 654

102.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.43 £4.07

$1.52 Ft 490

257.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £75.7

$28.02 Ft 9,053

260.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.03 £6.77

$3.31 Ft 1,070

172.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 £2.03

$1.37 Ft 442

97.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.84 £14.88

$19.83 Ft 6,406

0.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.82 Ft 589

12.64%

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

$36.9K £27.7K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

23.89%

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

$41.0K £30.7K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

21.14%

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

$252 £189

$171 Ft 55.3K

47.07%

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

$24.74 £18.56

$23.51 Ft 7,596

5.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.20 £30.91

$23.29 Ft 7,526

76.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.7 £51.5

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

1.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.17 £21.89

$18.89 Ft 6,104

54.42%

Cinema Ticket

$17.88 £13.41

$9.30 Ft 3,004

92.26%

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

$2,091 £1,568

$533 Ft 172.3K

291.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

18.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 £52.1

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-30.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 £37.73

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

15.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 £57.5

$110 Ft 35.7K

-30.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 £84.8

$119 Ft 38.4K

-5.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,754 £1,316

$830 Ft 268.3K

111.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 £939

$622 Ft 200.9K

101.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,652 £1,989

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

66.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,353 £1,765

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

101.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,730 £2,798

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-36.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,296 £3,223

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

10.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,965 £2,224

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

79.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

6.45

-14.73%

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

Last update for Maidstone: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maidstone

$1.3K 48.8%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 50.3% $630

Eating Out

Maidstone

$322 12.6%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 30.8% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maidstone

$318 12.4%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 31.4% $100

Groceries & Markets

Maidstone

$285 11.1%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 9.5% $27

Getting Around

Maidstone

$145 5.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 69.5% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Maidstone

$139 5.4%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 20.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Maidstone

$104 4.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 17.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,754 in Maidstone 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 80% higher in Maidstone, 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 $93.0 in Maidstone versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $285 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Maidstone

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

11:05 11:05 AM

1 h ahead of Maidstone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

113,137

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

Maidstone Budapest 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Maidstone
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

Maidstone vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Maidstone is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,849 per month in Maidstone 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 260% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,091 per month in Maidstone 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 Maidstone at $2,566. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maidstone 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, Maidstone makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.