Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middlesex and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,391 in Middlesex, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Middlesex
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Middlesex Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Middlesex

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,391

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,391 per month in Middlesex vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Middlesex $2,391
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,444 per month in Middlesex vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Middlesex $3,444
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,498 per month in Middlesex vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Middlesex $4,498
Budapest $3,429

Middlesex costs about 48% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Middlesex and Budapest sit above the global median – Middlesex by 77%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.93 £14.96

$13.94 Ft 4,503

42.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.1 £52.6

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

14.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 £7.63

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-0.20%

Cappuccino

$3.43 £2.57

$3.26 Ft 1,055

5.21%

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

$2.29 £1.71

$2.14 Ft 690

7.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.53

$1.78 Ft 577

14.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 £3.52

$3.71 Ft 1,198

26.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 £3.13

$3.77 Ft 1,217

10.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.15 Ft 371

11.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 £1.06

$1.79 Ft 578

-20.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 £2.79

$2.49 Ft 804

49.40%

Eggs

$3.55 £2.66

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-8.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.61 £5.71

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-31.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.22 £5.42

$6.62 Ft 2,139

9.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 £10.44

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-5.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 £2.46

$1.83 Ft 591

78.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 £0.74

$2.05 Ft 661

-52.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 £0.74

$2.37 Ft 765

-58.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.70 £2.77

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-5.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$0.99 Ft 320

72.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.00 Ft 322

74.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 £0.74

$1.58 Ft 511

-37.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.45

$0.67 Ft 216

189.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.26 £16.70

$7.96 Ft 2,572

179.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.35 £7.01

$6.22 Ft 2,009

50.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.81 £3.61

$1.27 Ft 411

278.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 £2.78

$2.03 Ft 654

82.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.51 £2.63

$1.52 Ft 490

130.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.9 £73.4

$28.02 Ft 9,053

249.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 £3.20

$3.31 Ft 1,070

28.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 £1.51

$1.37 Ft 442

47.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.38 £25.04

$19.83 Ft 6,406

68.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 £1.51

$1.82 Ft 589

10.99%

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

$38.2K £28.7K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

28.32%

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

$39.4K £29.6K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

16.61%

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

$354 £266

$171 Ft 55.3K

107.07%

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

$25.42 £19.07

$23.51 Ft 7,596

8.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.33 £30.26

$23.29 Ft 7,526

73.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.97 £33.73

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-33.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 £13.08

$9.30 Ft 3,004

87.42%

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

$792 £594

$533 Ft 172.3K

48.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K £16.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

33.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 £81.8

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

9.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 £41.14

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

26.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 £85.3

$110 Ft 35.7K

2.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 £85.4

$119 Ft 38.4K

-4.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 £910

$830 Ft 268.3K

46.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 £766

$622 Ft 200.9K

64.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,103 £1,578

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

31.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 £1,259

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

43.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,963 £3,723

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-14.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,899 £2,925

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

0.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

6.45

-14.26%

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

Last update for Middlesex: 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

Middlesex

$1K 42.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 39.1% $399

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middlesex

$420 17.6%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 48.1% $202

Groceries & Markets

Middlesex

$287 12%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 10.3% $29

Eating Out

Middlesex

$280 11.7%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 20.4% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Middlesex

$176 7.4%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 4.8% $8.5

Getting Around

Middlesex

$126 5.3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 65% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Middlesex

$80 3.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 7.9% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,213 in Middlesex 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Middlesex versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Middlesex

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

16:57 4:57 PM

1 h ahead of Middlesex

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,162

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 19, 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 19, 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

Middlesex Budapest 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Middlesex
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

Middlesex vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Middlesex is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,586 per month in Middlesex 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 249% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $792 per month in Middlesex 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 Middlesex at $2,391. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Middlesex 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, Middlesex makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.