Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portlaoise and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,347 in Portlaoise, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Portlaoise
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Portlaoise Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Portlaoise

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,347

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,347 per month in Portlaoise vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Portlaoise $2,347
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,746 per month in Portlaoise vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Portlaoise $3,746
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $5,145 per month in Portlaoise vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Portlaoise $5,145
Budapest $3,429

Portlaoise costs about 45% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Portlaoise and Budapest sit above the global median – Portlaoise by 74%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.70 €20.19

$13.94 Ft 4,503

62.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 €69.8

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

28.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.72 €11.31

$10.19 Ft 3,291

24.83%

Cappuccino

$4.40 €3.91

$3.26 Ft 1,055

34.97%

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

$2.50 €2.22

$2.14 Ft 690

16.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.78 Ft 577

-4.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 €5.87

$3.71 Ft 1,198

77.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 €5.44

$3.77 Ft 1,217

62.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.15 Ft 371

48.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.79 Ft 578

25.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.49 Ft 804

-25.30%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$3.90 Ft 1,261

18.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.04 €12.48

$11.10 Ft 3,587

26.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.88 €11.45

$6.62 Ft 2,139

94.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.74 €14.89

$14.69 Ft 4,745

13.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$1.83 Ft 591

81.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$2.05 Ft 661

43.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.37 Ft 765

37.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 €4.32

$3.90 Ft 1,260

24.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.99 Ft 320

134.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.00 Ft 322

73.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.58 Ft 511

-12.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.67 Ft 216

213.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.38 €18.12

$7.96 Ft 2,572

156.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 €12.00

$6.22 Ft 2,009

116.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.10 €3.64

$1.27 Ft 411

222.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$2.03 Ft 654

77.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 €4.14

$1.52 Ft 490

206.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.08 €39.21

$28.02 Ft 9,053

57.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.65

$3.31 Ft 1,070

58.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.37 Ft 442

13.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$19.83 Ft 6,406

67.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.82 Ft 589

11.54%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

30.30%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

12.53%

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

$239 €212

$171 Ft 55.3K

39.50%

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

$21.79 €19.38

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-7.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 €49.40

$23.29 Ft 7,526

138.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 €49.22

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-18.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$13.45 €11.96

$9.30 Ft 3,004

44.62%

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

$1,072 €953

$533 Ft 172.3K

100.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,427 €4,827

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-67.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.5 €84.0

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-5.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.66 €37.94

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-1.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.2

$110 Ft 35.7K

-1.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$119 Ft 38.4K

2.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 €1,093

$830 Ft 268.3K

47.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$984 €875

$622 Ft 200.9K

58.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 €2,014

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

42.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 €1,913

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

83.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 €2,477

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

68.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

6.45

-45.74%

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

Last update for Portlaoise: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portlaoise

$984 41.9%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 36.8% $362

Groceries & Markets

Portlaoise

$390 16.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 33.8% $132

Eating Out

Portlaoise

$335 14.3%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 33.3% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portlaoise

$316 13.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 31% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Portlaoise

$165 7%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 1.6% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Portlaoise

$82 3.5%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 4.7% $3.9

Getting Around

Portlaoise

$76 3.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 41.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,229 in Portlaoise 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 69% higher in Portlaoise, 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 $78.0 in Portlaoise versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $390 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Portlaoise

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

15:37 3:37 PM

1 h ahead of Portlaoise

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,494

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Portlaoise Budapest 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Portlaoise
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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

Portlaoise vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Portlaoise is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,521 per month in Portlaoise 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 57% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,072 per month in Portlaoise 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 Portlaoise at $2,347. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Portlaoise 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, Portlaoise makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.