Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Migdal HaEmek and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,776 in Migdal HaEmek, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Migdal HaEmek
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Migdal HaEmek Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Migdal HaEmek

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,776

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,776 per month in Migdal HaEmek vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Migdal HaEmek $2,776
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $4,045 per month in Migdal HaEmek vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Migdal HaEmek $4,045
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $5,314 per month in Migdal HaEmek vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Migdal HaEmek $5,314
Budapest $3,429

Migdal HaEmek costs about 72% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Migdal HaEmek and Budapest sit above the global median – Migdal HaEmek by 106%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.63 ₪79.8

$13.94 Ft 4,503

83.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 ₪282

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

47.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.38 ₪60.3

$10.19 Ft 3,291

90.19%

Cappuccino

$4.55 ₪14.16

$3.26 Ft 1,055

39.57%

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

$3.43 ₪10.68

$2.14 Ft 690

60.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₪8.60

$1.78 Ft 577

55.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.49 ₪29.51

$3.71 Ft 1,198

155.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.16 ₪31.62

$3.77 Ft 1,217

169.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 ₪7.54

$1.15 Ft 371

110.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 ₪11.21

$1.79 Ft 578

101.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 ₪10.20

$2.49 Ft 804

31.73%

Eggs

$4.45 ₪13.85

$3.90 Ft 1,261

14.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 ₪40.13

$11.10 Ft 3,587

16.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.77 ₪39.74

$6.62 Ft 2,139

92.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.05 ₪74.8

$14.69 Ft 4,745

63.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.41 ₪13.71

$1.83 Ft 591

140.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.96 ₪9.21

$2.05 Ft 661

44.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₪7.41

$2.37 Ft 765

0.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 ₪7.91

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-34.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 ₪6.37

$0.99 Ft 320

107.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 ₪5.24

$1.00 Ft 322

68.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 ₪7.20

$1.58 Ft 511

46.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₪7.53

$0.67 Ft 216

261.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.08 ₪31.37

$7.96 Ft 2,572

26.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.04 ₪40.57

$6.22 Ft 2,009

109.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 ₪10.04

$1.27 Ft 411

154.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 ₪13.07

$2.03 Ft 654

106.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 ₪7.85

$1.52 Ft 490

65.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 ₪345

$28.02 Ft 9,053

295.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.31 ₪13.41

$3.31 Ft 1,070

30.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 ₪3.81

$1.37 Ft 442

-10.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.62 ₪114

$19.83 Ft 6,406

84.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.54 ₪7.89

$1.82 Ft 589

39.56%

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

$58.3K ₪181.5K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

95.75%

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

$57.3K ₪178.4K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

69.57%

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

$258 ₪802

$171 Ft 55.3K

50.55%

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

$11.81 ₪36.76

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-49.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.31 ₪113

$23.29 Ft 7,526

55.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.6 ₪279

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

32.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$15.59 ₪48.49

$9.30 Ft 3,004

67.63%

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

$1,155 ₪3,592

$533 Ft 172.3K

116.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.5K ₪85.6K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

64.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₪322

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

3.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.5 ₪201

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

48.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$133 ₪413

$110 Ft 35.7K

20.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 ₪485

$119 Ft 38.4K

30.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 ₪4,594

$830 Ft 268.3K

77.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 ₪3,660

$622 Ft 200.9K

89.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₪6,174

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

24.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 ₪5,522

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

51.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.1K ₪31.3K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

72.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,612 ₪26.8K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

121.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

6.45

-21.86%

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

Last update for Migdal HaEmek: 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

Migdal HaEmek

$1.2K 42.4%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 47.1% $555

Groceries & Markets

Migdal HaEmek

$426 15.4%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 39.5% $168

Eating Out

Migdal HaEmek

$410 14.8%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 45.7% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Migdal HaEmek

$306 11%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 28.7% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Migdal HaEmek

$205 7.4%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 18.4% $38

Getting Around

Migdal HaEmek

$131 4.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 66.3% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Migdal HaEmek

$121 4.4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 28.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,477 in Migdal HaEmek 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 $91.0 in Migdal HaEmek versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $426 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Migdal HaEmek

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:02 9:02 AM

08:02 8:02 AM

1 h behind Migdal HaEmek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,700

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 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 ILS in detail →

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Between locations

Migdal HaEmek Budapest 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Migdal HaEmek
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

Migdal HaEmek vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Migdal HaEmek is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,165 per month in Migdal HaEmek 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 296% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,155 per month in Migdal HaEmek 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 Migdal HaEmek at $2,776. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Migdal HaEmek 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, Migdal HaEmek makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.