Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Markham and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,416 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,416 per month in Markham vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Markham $2,416
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,465 per month in Markham vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Markham $3,465
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,514 per month in Markham vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Markham $4,514
Budapest $3,429

Markham costs about 49% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Markham and Budapest sit above the global median – Markham by 79%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 CA$24.70

$13.94 Ft 4,523

24.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.4 CA$76.0

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

-12.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.89

$10.19 Ft 3,306

2.75%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.42

$3.26 Ft 1,059

16.87%

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

$1.70 CA$2.42

$2.14 Ft 694

-20.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 CA$1.67

$1.78 Ft 579

-34.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.59 CA$5.10

$3.71 Ft 1,204

-3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 CA$7.99

$3.77 Ft 1,223

49.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CA$2.76

$1.15 Ft 372

68.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.79 Ft 580

24.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$2.49 Ft 807

-23.69%

Eggs

$2.99 CA$4.25

$3.90 Ft 1,266

-23.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,604

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 CA$16.64

$6.62 Ft 2,149

76.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.81 CA$9.68

$14.69 Ft 4,767

-53.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 CA$5.25

$1.83 Ft 594

101.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.80

$2.05 Ft 664

-38.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 CA$3.31

$2.37 Ft 769

-1.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.63

$3.90 Ft 1,266

-16.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 CA$2.92

$0.99 Ft 322

107.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 CA$2.79

$1.00 Ft 323

96.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 CA$4.08

$1.58 Ft 513

81.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.67 Ft 217

120.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.44 CA$19.11

$7.96 Ft 2,584

68.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.53 CA$20.66

$6.22 Ft 2,018

133.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 CA$3.41

$1.27 Ft 413

88.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 CA$4.54

$2.03 Ft 657

57.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 CA$4.32

$1.52 Ft 492

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$127

$28.02 Ft 9,095

218.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 CA$4.71

$3.31 Ft 1,075

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.60 CA$26.44

$19.83 Ft 6,436

-6.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.61

$1.82 Ft 591

-37.91%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

-5.65%

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

$18.1K CA$25.8K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-46.39%

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

$125 CA$178

$171 Ft 55.5K

-26.72%

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

$26.20 CA$37.26

$23.51 Ft 7,631

11.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.69 CA$65.0

$23.29 Ft 7,560

96.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.62 CA$60.6

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

-36.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.28 CA$30.26

$18.89 Ft 6,133

12.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 CA$14.49

$9.30 Ft 3,018

9.57%

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

$870 CA$1,237

$533 Ft 173.1K

63.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.5K CA$39.0K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

63.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.21 CA$61.4

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

-56.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.22 CA$52.9

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

-14.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 CA$130

$110 Ft 35.8K

-17.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$149

$119 Ft 38.6K

-11.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 CA$2,210

$830 Ft 269.6K

87.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 CA$1,978

$622 Ft 201.9K

123.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,699 CA$3,838

$1,594 Ft 517.2K

69.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,236 CA$3,179

$1,170 Ft 379.9K

91.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,896 CA$8,382

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

1.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,309 CA$7,549

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

36.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,132 CA$4,453

$1,651 Ft 535.9K

89.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.56

6.45

-29.30%

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

Last update for Markham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Markham

$1.4K 57.6%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 55.3% $769

Groceries & Markets

Markham

$279 * 11.5%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 7.4% $21

Eating Out

Markham

$257 10.6%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 13.2% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Markham

$197 8.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 10.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Markham

$124 5.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 34.7% $43

Getting Around

Markham

$105 * 4.3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 57.8% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Markham

$63 2.6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 36.7% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,554 in Markham 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 90% higher in Markham, 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 $53.0 in Markham versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $279 in Markham vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Markham

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

00:22 12:22 AM

6 h ahead of Markham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

338,503

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Markham Budapest 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Markham
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

Markham vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Markham is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,624 per month in Markham 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 219% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $870 per month in Markham 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 Markham at $2,416. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Markham 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, Markham makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.