Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,388 in Ottawa, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
Learn more

Ottawa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,388

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,388 per month in Ottawa vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Ottawa $2,388
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,474 per month in Ottawa vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Ottawa $3,474
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,559 per month in Ottawa vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Ottawa $4,559
Budapest $3,489

Ottawa costs about 47% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ottawa and Budapest sit above the global median – Ottawa by 78%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.59 CA$26.44

$13.99 Ft 4,555

32.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 CA$110

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

27.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 CA$15.08

$9.96 Ft 3,244

6.43%

Cappuccino

$3.94 CA$5.60

$3.38 Ft 1,102

16.57%

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

$2.01 CA$2.86

$2.13 Ft 693

-5.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 CA$2.53

$1.87 Ft 609

-4.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 CA$7.92

$3.75 Ft 1,222

48.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.19 CA$8.80

$3.57 Ft 1,163

73.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CA$3.26

$1.13 Ft 369

102.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 CA$4.41

$1.84 Ft 600

68.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.56

$2.39 Ft 777

34.31%

Eggs

$3.47 CA$4.94

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-9.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 CA$14.90

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-7.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.17 CA$15.88

$6.74 Ft 2,194

65.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 CA$25.14

$14.69 Ft 4,784

20.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 CA$5.35

$1.84 Ft 598

104.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.97

$2.01 Ft 654

-31.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.36

$2.36 Ft 767

59.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 CA$5.04

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-6.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 CA$3.77

$0.96 Ft 314

176.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 CA$3.43

$1.03 Ft 335

133.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.63 CA$3.75

$1.56 Ft 509

68.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.27

$0.66 Ft 216

140.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.49 CA$20.61

$7.96 Ft 2,594

82.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.80 CA$16.78

$6.01 Ft 1,956

96.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.71

$1.30 Ft 422

100.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 CA$4.68

$2.08 Ft 677

58.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 CA$3.94

$1.50 Ft 490

84.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.9 CA$134

$27.61 Ft 8,991

240.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.87

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-17.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 CA$2.15

$1.30 Ft 424

16.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.16 CA$27.26

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-3.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.71

$1.81 Ft 591

-33.70%

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

$27.8K CA$39.6K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-5.11%

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

$21.1K CA$30.0K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-38.24%

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

$136 CA$194

$170 Ft 55.3K

-19.90%

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

$36.63 CA$52.1

$23.98 Ft 7,809

52.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.4 CA$71.7

$23.42 Ft 7,628

115.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.79 CA$65.1

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-30.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.77 CA$39.51

$19.18 Ft 6,245

44.79%

Cinema Ticket

$12.82 CA$18.24

$9.52 Ft 3,101

34.66%

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

$913 CA$1,298

$537 Ft 174.8K

70.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.9K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-2.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.2 CA$87.1

$101 Ft 33.0K

-39.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.63 CA$55.0

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-10.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 CA$151

$113 Ft 36.7K

-6.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.6 CA$139

$119 Ft 38.7K

-17.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 CA$2,119

$805 Ft 262.2K

85.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 CA$1,715

$629 Ft 204.9K

91.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,204 CA$3,135

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

42.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,836 CA$2,612

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

57.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,287 CA$6,098

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-23.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,457 CA$6,339

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

12.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,712 CA$5,280

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

128.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

6.43

-35.61%

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

Last update for Ottawa: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.2%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 47.8% $577

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa

$366 15.3%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 29.7% $109

Eating Out

Ottawa

$283 11.8%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 20.8% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa

$223 9.3%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 2.6% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa

$137 5.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 23.9% $33

Getting Around

Ottawa

$115 4.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 62.3% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa

$71 3%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 19.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,490 in Ottawa 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 128% higher in Ottawa, 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 $77.0 in Ottawa versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

12:24 12:24 PM

6 h ahead of Ottawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,000 Capital

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 = 1.59 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ottawa Budapest 6,770 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ottawa
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

Ottawa vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ottawa is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,582 per month in Ottawa 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 240% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $913 per month in Ottawa 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 Ottawa at $2,388. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ottawa 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, Ottawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.