Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Preston and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,152 in Preston, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Preston
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Preston Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Preston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,152

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,152 per month in Preston vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Preston $2,152
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,144 per month in Preston vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Preston $3,144
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,136 per month in Preston vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Preston $4,136
Budapest $3,429

Preston costs about 33% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Preston and Budapest sit above the global median – Preston by 59%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.47 £12.35

$13.94 Ft 4,503

18.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 £52.8

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

15.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.66 £6.50

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-15.01%

Cappuccino

$4.36 £3.27

$3.26 Ft 1,055

33.74%

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

$2.19 £1.65

$2.14 Ft 690

2.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 £1.00

$1.78 Ft 577

-24.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 £3.87

$3.71 Ft 1,198

38.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 £3.94

$3.77 Ft 1,217

39.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.15 Ft 371

26.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 £1.06

$1.79 Ft 578

-20.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$2.49 Ft 804

-32.93%

Eggs

$3.51 £2.63

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.26 £3.95

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-52.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 £6.84

$6.62 Ft 2,139

37.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.87 £9.65

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-12.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 £1.91

$1.83 Ft 591

39.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.05 Ft 661

-18.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 £1.90

$2.37 Ft 765

6.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 £2.87

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$0.99 Ft 320

105.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 £1.68

$1.00 Ft 322

124.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.88

$1.58 Ft 511

-25.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.22

$0.67 Ft 216

143.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.41 £16.06

$7.96 Ft 2,572

168.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.24 £6.93

$6.22 Ft 2,009

48.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 £2.30

$1.27 Ft 411

141.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 £2.45

$2.03 Ft 654

60.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.93 £2.95

$1.52 Ft 490

158.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.8 £74.1

$28.02 Ft 9,053

252.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 £1.96

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-21.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.37 Ft 442

51.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.82 Ft 589

2.75%

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

$37.2K £27.9K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

24.91%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

17.95%

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

$434 £326

$171 Ft 55.3K

153.80%

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

$15.44 £11.59

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-34.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.14 £33.87

$23.29 Ft 7,526

93.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.24 £30.19

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-40.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.67 £12.50

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-11.75%

Cinema Ticket

$17.50 £13.13

$9.30 Ft 3,004

88.17%

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

$1,554 £1,166

$533 Ft 172.3K

191.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,467 £6,352

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-49.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.3 £55.7

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-25.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.96 £19.47

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-40.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.9 £48.72

$110 Ft 35.7K

-41.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.8 £50.1

$119 Ft 38.4K

-43.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$978 £733

$830 Ft 268.3K

17.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$813 £610

$622 Ft 200.9K

30.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,894 £1,421

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

18.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 £1,087

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

23.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,332 £2,499

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-42.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,374 £1,781

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-38.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,009 £2,258

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

82.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.93

6.45

-23.57%

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

Last update for Preston: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Preston

$813 37.8%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 23.5% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Preston

$495 23%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 56% $277

Groceries & Markets

Preston

$277 12.9%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 6.8% $19

Eating Out

Preston

$260 12.1%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 14.4% $37

Getting Around

Preston

$127 5.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 65.3% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Preston

$104 4.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 60.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Preston

$75 3.5%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 14.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $978 in Preston 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 82% higher in Preston, 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 $70.0 in Preston versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Preston

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

12:44 12:44 PM

1 h ahead of Preston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,300

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Preston Budapest 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Preston
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

Preston vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Preston is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,228 per month in Preston 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 253% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,554 per month in Preston 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 Preston at $2,152. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Preston 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, Preston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.