Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
Budapest $3,489

Montreal costs about 24% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montreal and Budapest sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.46

$13.99 Ft 4,555

38.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$107

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

25.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.11

$9.96 Ft 3,244

6.73%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.58

$3.38 Ft 1,102

16.27%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$2.13 Ft 693

-9.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.87 Ft 609

-20.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.96

$3.75 Ft 1,222

68.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.22

$3.57 Ft 1,163

101.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.13 Ft 369

96.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.35

$1.84 Ft 600

66.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.18

$2.39 Ft 777

23.01%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.02

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-7.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.76

$11.33 Ft 3,689

16.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.98

$6.74 Ft 2,194

66.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.65

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-5.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.84

$1.84 Ft 598

84.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$2.01 Ft 654

-28.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.64

$2.36 Ft 767

38.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.09

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-23.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.64

$0.96 Ft 314

93.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$1.03 Ft 335

76.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.45

$1.56 Ft 509

55.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$0.66 Ft 216

130.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.29

$7.96 Ft 2,594

43.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.73

$6.01 Ft 1,956

72.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$1.30 Ft 422

70.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$2.08 Ft 677

35.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.66

$1.50 Ft 490

72.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$109

$27.61 Ft 8,991

178.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.63

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-1.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.30 Ft 424

13.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$46.99

$19.78 Ft 6,442

67.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$1.81 Ft 591

-24.86%

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

$27.4K CA$39.0K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-6.48%

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

$20.0K CA$28.4K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-41.43%

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

$76.1 CA$108

$170 Ft 55.3K

-55.21%

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

$34.68 CA$49.32

$23.98 Ft 7,809

44.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.7

$23.42 Ft 7,628

82.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.17

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-56.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.91

$19.18 Ft 6,245

6.00%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.94

$9.52 Ft 3,101

17.75%

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

$505 CA$718

$537 Ft 174.8K

-5.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-3.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.2

$101 Ft 33.0K

-42.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.1

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-11.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$113 Ft 36.7K

-17.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$150

$119 Ft 38.7K

-10.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,764

$805 Ft 262.2K

54.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,402

$629 Ft 204.9K

56.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,990

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

35.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,297

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

38.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,173

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-10.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,447

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-3.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,154

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

79.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

6.43

-30.64%

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

Last update for Montreal: 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

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 36.2% $357

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 25% $86

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 23.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 41.6% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 27.4% $36

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 55.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 66% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal 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 80% higher in Montreal, 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 $75.0 in Montreal versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

08:25 8:25 AM

6 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 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 CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Montreal Budapest 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Montreal vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montreal is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,005 per month in Montreal 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 178% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $505 per month in Montreal 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 Montreal at $2,003. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal 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, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.