Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,852 per month in Melbourne vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Melbourne $2,852
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $4,297 per month in Melbourne vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Melbourne $4,297
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,742 per month in Melbourne vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Melbourne $5,742
Budapest $3,489

Melbourne costs about 76% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Melbourne and Budapest sit above the global median – Melbourne by 113%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$13.99 Ft 4,551

26.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

40.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$9.96 Ft 3,241

22.09%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$3.38 Ft 1,100

16.27%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$2.13 Ft 692

47.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$1.87 Ft 608

29.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$3.75 Ft 1,221

164.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$3.57 Ft 1,162

132.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.13 Ft 368

37.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.84 Ft 599

63.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$2.39 Ft 777

20.50%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$3.83 Ft 1,245

42.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-6.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$6.74 Ft 2,192

42.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$14.69 Ft 4,780

2.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$1.84 Ft 597

125.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$2.01 Ft 653

51.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$2.36 Ft 767

39.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$3.77 Ft 1,226

26.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$0.96 Ft 313

216.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$1.03 Ft 334

147.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.56 Ft 509

58.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.66 Ft 216

146.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$7.96 Ft 2,591

453.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$6.01 Ft 1,954

106.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.30 Ft 421

310.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$2.08 Ft 676

148.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$1.50 Ft 489

156.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$27.61 Ft 8,982

412.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$3.30 Ft 1,074

33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.30 Ft 424

7.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$19.78 Ft 6,436

50.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.81 Ft 591

-19.34%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-4.02%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-23.93%

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

$233 A$333

$170 Ft 55.3K

36.90%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$23.98 Ft 7,802

13.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$23.42 Ft 7,621

143.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-20.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$19.18 Ft 6,239

17.94%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$9.52 Ft 3,098

79.62%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$537 Ft 174.6K

342.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

83.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$101 Ft 33.0K

-22.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

17.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$113 Ft 36.7K

6.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$119 Ft 38.6K

12.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$805 Ft 262.0K

112.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$629 Ft 204.7K

122.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

115.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

116.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

24.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

70.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

160.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.43

-8.24%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 55.1% $773

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 33.1% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 31.4% $100

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 28.6% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 1.7% $3

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 74.2% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 1.9% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,713 in Melbourne 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 160% higher in Melbourne, 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 $85.0 in Melbourne versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

13:46 1:46 PM

04:46 4:46 AM

9 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Budapest 15,560 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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

Melbourne vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 76%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,277 per month in Melbourne 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 412% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,373 per month in Melbourne 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 Melbourne at $2,852. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne 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, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.