Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,177 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Perth
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,177
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,177 per month in Perth vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Perth $2,177
  • Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,195 per month in Perth vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Perth $3,195
  • Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,213 per month in Perth vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Perth $4,213
  • Budapest $3,429

Perth costs about 35% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Perth and Budapest sit above the global median – Perth by 61%, Budapest by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Perth
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.74 £17.81
$13.94 Ft 4,503
70.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.7 £60.5
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
31.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.71 £11.79
$10.19 Ft 3,291
54.17%
Cappuccino
$4.07 £3.05
$3.26 Ft 1,055
24.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 £1.87
$2.14 Ft 690
16.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 £1.25
$1.78 Ft 577
-6.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.32 £4.74
$3.71 Ft 1,198
70.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.77 £4.33
$3.77 Ft 1,217
53.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Perth
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 £1.05
$1.15 Ft 371
20.87%
White Bread (500g)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.79 Ft 578
-21.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.87 £1.40
$2.49 Ft 804
-24.90%
Eggs
$2.32 £1.74
$3.90 Ft 1,261
-40.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.18 £6.14
$11.10 Ft 3,587
-26.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.38 £6.29
$6.62 Ft 2,139
26.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.16 £9.87
$14.69 Ft 4,745
-10.42%
Apples (1kg)
$2.28 £1.71
$1.83 Ft 591
24.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 £1.19
$2.05 Ft 661
-22.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.47 £1.85
$2.37 Ft 765
4.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.26 £2.44
$3.90 Ft 1,260
-16.41%
Potato (1kg)
$1.48 £1.11
$0.99 Ft 320
49.49%
Onion (1kg)
$1.76 £1.32
$1.00 Ft 322
76.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.05 £0.79
$1.58 Ft 511
-33.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 £1.09
$0.67 Ft 216
116.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.85 £15.64
$7.96 Ft 2,572
161.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.06 £8.30
$6.22 Ft 2,009
77.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.02 £2.27
$1.27 Ft 411
137.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 £2.07
$2.03 Ft 654
35.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Perth
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.39 £2.55
$1.52 Ft 490
123.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.5 £73.1
$28.02 Ft 9,053
247.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.19 £3.89
$3.31 Ft 1,070
56.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 £1.86
$1.37 Ft 442
81.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.68 £17.77
$19.83 Ft 6,406
19.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.93 £1.44
$1.82 Ft 589
6.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.0K £25.5K
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
14.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.6K £30.5K
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
20.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Perth
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$603 £452
$171 Ft 55.3K
252.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.35 £10.01
$23.51 Ft 7,596
-43.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.42 £26.57
$23.29 Ft 7,526
52.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Perth
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.99 £33.76
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
-33.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.89 Ft 6,104
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.33 £10.75
$9.30 Ft 3,004
54.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Perth
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,194 £895
$533 Ft 172.3K
123.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.2K £16.7K
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
32.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Perth
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.3 £67.0
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
-10.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.84 £32.89
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
0.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.2 £50.4
$110 Ft 35.7K
-39.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$137 £103
$119 Ft 38.4K
15.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Perth
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$693 £520
$830 Ft 268.3K
-16.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$555 £417
$622 Ft 200.9K
-10.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,195 £897
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
-25.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 £811
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
-7.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,006 £3,756
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
-14.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,895 £2,922
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
0.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Perth
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,407 £1,806
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
45.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.07
6.45
-21.40%

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

Last update for Perth: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Perth
$652
Budapest
$218 66.6% $434
Accommodation & Living
Perth
$555
Budapest
$622 12% $66
Eating Out
Perth
$346
Budapest
$223 35.5% $123
Groceries & Markets
Perth
$270
Budapest
$258 4.5% $12
Clothing & Footwear
Perth
$152
Budapest
$168 10.3% $16
Getting Around
Perth
$129
Budapest
$44 65.6% $84
Sport & Entertainment
Perth
$74
Budapest
$86 16.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $693 in Perth 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.

Salaries run about 46% higher in Perth, 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 $81.0 in Perth versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $270 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Perth
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
08:36 8:36 AM
09:36 9:36 AM
1 h ahead of Perth
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
46,660
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Perth Budapest 1,820 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Perth
  • 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
Perth vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Budapest cheaper than Perth?
Yes – Perth is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,266 per month in Perth and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 248% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,194 per month in Perth and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Perth or in Budapest?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Perth at $2,177. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Perth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Perth or Budapest more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Perth or Budapest?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Perth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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