Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rishon Leziyyon and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,222 in Rishon Leziyyon, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Rishon Leziyyon
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Rishon Leziyyon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Rishon Leziyyon

🇮🇱 Israel

$3,222

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,222 per month in Rishon Leziyyon vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Rishon Leziyyon $3,222
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $4,378 per month in Rishon Leziyyon vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Rishon Leziyyon $4,378
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,533 per month in Rishon Leziyyon vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Rishon Leziyyon $5,533
Budapest $3,489

Rishon Leziyyon costs about 99% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rishon Leziyyon and Budapest sit above the global median – Rishon Leziyyon by 140%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.36 ₪89.8

$13.99 Ft 4,551

109.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 ₪302

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

63.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.98 ₪52.0

$9.96 Ft 3,241

70.48%

Cappuccino

$5.15 ₪15.77

$3.38 Ft 1,100

52.37%

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

$3.80 ₪11.64

$2.13 Ft 692

78.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₪10.30

$1.87 Ft 608

80.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.43 ₪31.91

$3.75 Ft 1,221

178.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.96 ₪30.48

$3.57 Ft 1,162

178.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 ₪7.69

$1.13 Ft 368

122.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 ₪5.28

$1.84 Ft 599

-5.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₪7.36

$2.39 Ft 777

0.84%

Eggs

$5.58 ₪17.07

$3.83 Ft 1,245

45.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.87 ₪54.7

$11.33 Ft 3,686

57.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 ₪40.10

$6.74 Ft 2,192

94.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 ₪50.3

$14.69 Ft 4,780

11.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 ₪10.66

$1.84 Ft 597

89.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.98 ₪9.13

$2.01 Ft 653

48.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 ₪5.41

$2.36 Ft 767

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 ₪7.92

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-31.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ₪5.35

$0.96 Ft 313

82.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 ₪4.96

$1.03 Ft 334

57.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 ₪5.92

$1.56 Ft 509

23.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₪2.83

$0.66 Ft 216

40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.01 ₪42.87

$7.96 Ft 2,591

76.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 ₪33.87

$6.01 Ft 1,954

84.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₪8.06

$1.30 Ft 421

102.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 ₪7.73

$2.08 Ft 676

21.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 ₪7.89

$1.50 Ft 489

72.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 ₪311

$27.61 Ft 8,982

268.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ₪11.71

$3.30 Ft 1,074

16.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 ₪4.47

$1.30 Ft 424

12.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.25 ₪95.6

$19.78 Ft 6,436

57.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.62 ₪8.03

$1.81 Ft 591

44.75%

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

$59.0K ₪180.7K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

101.32%

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

$55.9K ₪171.0K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

63.81%

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

$290 ₪888

$170 Ft 55.3K

70.75%

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

$11.48 ₪35.13

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-52.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.17 ₪138

$23.42 Ft 7,621

92.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 ₪162

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-19.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.96 ₪61.1

$19.18 Ft 6,239

4.07%

Cinema Ticket

$13.14 ₪40.21

$9.52 Ft 3,098

38.03%

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

$1,173 ₪3,591

$537 Ft 174.6K

118.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ₪74.1K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

45.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.05 ₪113

$101 Ft 33.0K

-63.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.58 ₪124

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-5.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ₪300

$113 Ft 36.7K

-13.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 ₪361

$119 Ft 38.6K

-0.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 ₪5,694

$805 Ft 262.0K

131.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,682 ₪5,146

$629 Ft 204.7K

167.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,460 ₪7,526

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

58.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,229 ₪6,822

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

91.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,277 ₪22.3K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

29.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,163 ₪25.0K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

105.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,147 ₪9,629

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

93.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.07

6.43

-21.15%

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

Last update for Rishon Leziyyon: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rishon Leziyyon

$1.7K 52.9%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 62.6% $1.1K

Eating Out

Rishon Leziyyon

$448 14.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 50% $224

Groceries & Markets

Rishon Leziyyon

$366 11.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 29.6% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rishon Leziyyon

$347 10.9%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 37.3% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Rishon Leziyyon

$132 4.2%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 28% $37

Getting Around

Rishon Leziyyon

$123 3.9%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 64.7% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Rishon Leziyyon

$79 2.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 7.5% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,861 in Rishon Leziyyon 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 94% higher in Rishon Leziyyon, 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 $99.0 in Rishon Leziyyon 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

🇮🇱 Rishon Leziyyon

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

1 h behind Rishon Leziyyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

247,323

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.327 USD

1 ILS = 0.291 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.06 ILS (1 ILS = 0.327 USD). 1 EUR = 3.43 ILS (1 ILS = 0.291 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

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Rishon Leziyyon Budapest 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rishon Leziyyon
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

Rishon Leziyyon vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rishon Leziyyon is pricier by about 99%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,833 per month in Rishon Leziyyon 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 268% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,173 per month in Rishon Leziyyon 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 Rishon Leziyyon at $3,222. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rishon Leziyyon 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, Rishon Leziyyon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.