Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,563 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,563

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,563 per month in Manchester vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Manchester $2,563
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,739 per month in Manchester vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Manchester $3,739
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,915 per month in Manchester vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Manchester $4,915
Budapest $3,489

Manchester costs about 58% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manchester and Budapest sit above the global median – Manchester by 91%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.48 £14.73

$13.99 Ft 4,555

39.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.9 £65.7

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

43.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 £7.99

$9.96 Ft 3,244

6.12%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.61

$3.38 Ft 1,102

41.42%

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

$2.52 £1.90

$2.13 Ft 693

18.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 £1.21

$1.87 Ft 609

-14.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 £5.95

$3.75 Ft 1,222

109.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 £5.08

$3.57 Ft 1,163

88.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.13 Ft 369

31.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.84 Ft 600

5.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 £1.46

$2.39 Ft 777

-19.25%

Eggs

$3.99 £3.02

$3.83 Ft 1,246

4.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 £7.21

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-15.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.95 £6.77

$6.74 Ft 2,194

32.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 £11.53

$14.69 Ft 4,784

3.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 £2.30

$1.84 Ft 598

65.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.01 Ft 654

-21.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 £2.28

$2.36 Ft 767

27.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 £2.63

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-7.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 £1.13

$0.96 Ft 314

55.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.03 Ft 335

26.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.56 Ft 509

-22.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 £0.96

$0.66 Ft 216

92.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.04 £17.42

$7.96 Ft 2,594

189.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.84 £8.19

$6.01 Ft 1,956

80.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 £1.83

$1.30 Ft 422

86.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.08 Ft 677

45.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 £1.95

$1.50 Ft 490

71.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £78.7

$27.61 Ft 8,991

277.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.49 £3.39

$3.30 Ft 1,075

36.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 £1.57

$1.30 Ft 424

60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 £22.47

$19.78 Ft 6,442

50.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.59

$1.81 Ft 591

16.57%

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

$38.8K £29.4K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

32.40%

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

$40.2K £30.4K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

17.86%

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

$243 £184

$170 Ft 55.3K

43.26%

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

$16.52 £12.48

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-31.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.77 £30.06

$23.42 Ft 7,628

69.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 £42.75

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-14.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.03 £13.63

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-6.00%

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 £9.86

$9.52 Ft 3,101

37.08%

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

$1,246 £942

$537 Ft 174.8K

132.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £15.1K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

20.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 £63.1

$101 Ft 33.0K

-17.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.34 £32.01

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-1.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 £71.3

$113 Ft 36.7K

-16.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 £77.8

$119 Ft 38.7K

-13.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 £1,385

$805 Ft 262.2K

127.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 £935

$629 Ft 204.9K

96.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,095 £2,340

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

99.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 £1,516

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

71.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,607 £3,482

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-18.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,481 £3,387

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

12.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,438 £2,599

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

111.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

6.43

-25.04%

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

Last update for Manchester: 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

Manchester

$1.2K 49.4%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 49.2% $608

Eating Out

Manchester

$314 12.5%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 28.6% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$300 12%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 27.5% $82

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$298 11.9%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 13.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$145 5.8%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 16.4% $24

Getting Around

Manchester

$129 5.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 66.4% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$83 3.3%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 3.2% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,832 in Manchester 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 111% higher in Manchester, 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 $87.0 in Manchester versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

02:28 2:28 AM

1 h ahead of Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Manchester Budapest 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Manchester
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

Manchester vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,844 per month in Manchester 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 277% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,246 per month in Manchester 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 Manchester at $2,563. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester 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, Manchester makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.