Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Romford and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,677 in Romford, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Romford
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Romford Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Romford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,677

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,677 per month in Romford vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Romford $2,677
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $4,098 per month in Romford vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Romford $4,098
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $5,519 per month in Romford vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Romford $5,519
Budapest $3,429

Romford costs about 65% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Romford and Budapest sit above the global median – Romford by 98%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.61 £18.46

$13.94 Ft 4,503

76.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.1

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

69.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 £8.04

$10.19 Ft 3,291

5.20%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$3.26 Ft 1,055

47.55%

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

$2.70 £2.03

$2.14 Ft 690

26.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.78 Ft 577

2.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 £5.92

$3.71 Ft 1,198

112.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.71 £5.04

$3.77 Ft 1,217

77.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.39

$1.15 Ft 371

61.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 £1.33

$1.79 Ft 578

-0.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 £1.88

$2.49 Ft 804

0.80%

Eggs

$4.80 £3.60

$3.90 Ft 1,261

23.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 £7.28

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-12.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.40 £7.05

$6.62 Ft 2,139

41.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.59 £11.70

$14.69 Ft 4,745

6.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 £2.20

$1.83 Ft 591

60.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.05 Ft 661

-30.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 £2.46

$2.37 Ft 765

38.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 £2.55

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-12.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$0.99 Ft 320

66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.00 Ft 322

85.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.58 Ft 511

-21.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.67 Ft 216

168.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.58 £17.69

$7.96 Ft 2,572

196.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.10 £9.83

$6.22 Ft 2,009

110.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 £2.30

$1.27 Ft 411

141.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 £2.99

$2.03 Ft 654

96.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 £3.50

$1.52 Ft 490

206.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.8 £73.4

$28.02 Ft 9,053

249.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 £4.23

$3.31 Ft 1,070

70.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 £1.96

$1.37 Ft 442

90.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.16 £19.62

$19.83 Ft 6,406

31.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.61

$1.82 Ft 589

17.58%

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

$37.6K £28.2K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

26.13%

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

$39.8K £29.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

17.63%

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

$373 £280

$171 Ft 55.3K

118.02%

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

$18.24 £13.69

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-22.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.81 £32.12

$23.29 Ft 7,526

83.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.13 £36.86

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-27.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$16.88 £12.66

$9.30 Ft 3,004

81.51%

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

$2,585 £1,939

$533 Ft 172.3K

384.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K £26.9K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

113.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 £67.6

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-9.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.63 £35.74

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

9.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 £68.8

$110 Ft 35.7K

-16.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 £97.0

$119 Ft 38.4K

8.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,836 £1,377

$830 Ft 268.3K

121.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 £885

$622 Ft 200.9K

89.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,351 £2,514

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

110.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,266 £1,700

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

93.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,082 £3,813

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-12.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,905 £2,929

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

0.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,799 £2,100

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

69.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-22.48%

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

Last update for Romford: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Romford

$1.2K 44%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 47.3% $557

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Romford

$434 16.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 49.8% $216

Eating Out

Romford

$358 13.4%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 37.7% $135

Groceries & Markets

Romford

$327 12.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 21% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Romford

$162 6%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 3.8% $6.1

Getting Around

Romford

$135 5.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 67.3% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Romford

$83 3.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 3.9% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,836 in Romford 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 70% higher in Romford, 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 $104 in Romford versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Romford

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

01:48 1:48 AM

02:48 2:48 AM

1 h ahead of Romford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,894

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

Romford Budapest 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Romford
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

Romford vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Romford is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,016 per month in Romford 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 249% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,585 per month in Romford 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 Romford at $2,677. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Romford 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, Romford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.