Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portmore and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Portmore: $1,246 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
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Portmore Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,246

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,246 per month in Portmore vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Portmore $1,246
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Portmore vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Portmore $2,073
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Portmore vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Portmore $2,900
Budapest $3,429

Portmore is about 23% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Portmore sits 8% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.15 JMD 1,603

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-27.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 JMD 10.0K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

3.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 JMD 1,270

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-21.10%

Cappuccino

$5.43 JMD 859

$3.26 Ft 1,055

66.56%

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

$0.90 JMD 143

$2.14 Ft 690

-57.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 JMD 104

$1.78 Ft 577

-62.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 JMD 345

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-41.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 JMD 342

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-42.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 JMD 478

$1.15 Ft 371

162.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 JMD 551

$1.79 Ft 578

94.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 JMD 161

$2.49 Ft 804

-59.04%

Eggs

$3.61 JMD 571

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-7.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 JMD 1,821

$11.10 Ft 3,587

3.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 JMD 996

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-4.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.43 JMD 1,490

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-35.81%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 JMD 946

$1.83 Ft 591

227.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.93 JMD 620

$2.05 Ft 661

91.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 JMD 468

$2.37 Ft 765

24.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 JMD 476

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-22.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 JMD 521

$0.99 Ft 320

233.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 JMD 411

$1.00 Ft 322

160.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 JMD 251

$1.58 Ft 511

0.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 JMD 199

$0.67 Ft 216

88.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 JMD 1,523

$7.96 Ft 2,572

21.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.24 JMD 1,776

$6.22 Ft 2,009

80.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 JMD 444

$1.27 Ft 411

121.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 JMD 356

$2.03 Ft 654

11.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 JMD 361

$1.52 Ft 490

50.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 JMD 7,931

$28.02 Ft 9,053

79.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 JMD 152

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-71.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 JMD 488

$1.37 Ft 442

125.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.24 JMD 985

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-68.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 JMD 187

$1.82 Ft 589

-35.16%

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

$43.1K JMD 6.8M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

44.60%

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

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-4.42%

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

$155 JMD 24.5K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-9.53%

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

$29.01 JMD 4,583

$23.51 Ft 7,596

23.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 JMD 8,322

$23.29 Ft 7,526

126.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 JMD 9,503

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-10.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 JMD 2,114

$9.30 Ft 3,004

43.87%

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

$285 JMD 45.1K

$533 Ft 172.3K

-46.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,143 JMD 496.5K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-81.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.25 JMD 3,674

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-76.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 JMD 4,889

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-28.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

$110 Ft 35.7K

-28.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.5 JMD 14.9K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-20.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 JMD 48.6K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-62.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$216 JMD 34.1K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-65.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 JMD 103.7K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-58.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 JMD 93.3K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-49.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,466 JMD 1.2M

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

28.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,702 JMD 900.9K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

46.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 JMD 205.5K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-21.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

6.45

46.51%

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

Last update for Portmore: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Portmore

$336 27%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 23.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portmore

$237 19%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 7.9% $19

Accommodation & Living

Portmore

$216 17.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 188% $406

Eating Out

Portmore

$192 15.4%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 16.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Portmore

$102 8.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 63.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Portmore

$87 7%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 0.9% $0.8

Getting Around

Portmore

$76 6.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 41.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $307 in Portmore 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 27% higher in Budapest, 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 $63.0 in Portmore versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Portmore

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

22:26 10:26 PM

7 h ahead of Portmore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 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 JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Portmore Budapest 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Portmore
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

Portmore vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,868 per month in Portmore 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 Portmore, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 79% less in Portmore. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $285 per month in Portmore and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Portmore, where all-in costs run around $1,246, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Portmore it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Portmore – 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 Portmore. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.