Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Denis and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,800 in Saint-Denis, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Denis
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Saint-Denis Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Saint-Denis

🇷🇪 Reunion

$1,800

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,800 per month in Saint-Denis vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Saint-Denis $1,800
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,171 per month in Saint-Denis vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Saint-Denis $3,171
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,543 per month in Saint-Denis vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Saint-Denis $4,543
Budapest $3,489

Saint-Denis costs about 11% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Saint-Denis and Budapest sit above the global median – Saint-Denis by 34%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.56 €12.10

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-3.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 €70.5

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

30.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.63 €13.95

$9.96 Ft 3,241

56.93%

Cappuccino

$3.54 €3.16

$3.38 Ft 1,100

4.73%

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

$2.58 €2.31

$2.13 Ft 692

21.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.87 Ft 608

33.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-8.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 €4.15

$3.57 Ft 1,162

30.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.13 Ft 368

50.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$2.39 Ft 777

23.85%

Eggs

$4.51 €4.03

$3.83 Ft 1,245

17.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.10 €17.94

$11.33 Ft 3,686

77.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.24 €11.81

$6.74 Ft 2,192

96.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$33.24 €29.66

$14.69 Ft 4,780

126.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 €4.87

$3.77 Ft 1,226

44.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

Onion (1kg)

$4.51 €4.02

$1.03 Ft 334

337.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.56 Ft 509

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.66 Ft 216

187.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.39 €10.17

$7.96 Ft 2,591

43.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.55 €11.20

$6.01 Ft 1,954

108.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$1.30 Ft 421

153.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.04

$2.08 Ft 676

63.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.50 Ft 489

69.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.40 €38.73

$27.61 Ft 8,982

57.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.81 Ft 591

3.31%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

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

$146 €130

$170 Ft 55.3K

-14.13%

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

$17.61 €15.72

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-26.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.07 €38.44

$23.42 Ft 7,621

83.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.35 €32.44

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-45.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.43 €11.98

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-29.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 €9.91

$9.52 Ft 3,098

16.70%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 €132

$101 Ft 33.0K

45.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 €112

$113 Ft 36.7K

10.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$119 Ft 38.6K

-4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 €820

$805 Ft 262.0K

14.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$657 €586

$629 Ft 204.7K

4.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,369

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-1.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,951 €1,741

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

67.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,054 €1,833

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

26.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

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

Last update for Saint-Denis: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Denis

$657 36.8%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 4.2% $28

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Denis

$390 * 21.9%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 33.9% $132

Eating Out

Saint-Denis

$245 13.7%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 8.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Denis

$207 11.6%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 5.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Denis

$174 * 9.8%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 2.8% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Denis

$59 3.3%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 45.6% $27

Getting Around

Saint-Denis

$54 * 3%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 18.9% $10

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $918 in Saint-Denis 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 26% higher in Saint-Denis, 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 $79.0 in Saint-Denis versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $390 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇪 Saint-Denis

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

2 h behind Saint-Denis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154,765 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Saint-Denis Budapest 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Denis
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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

Saint-Denis vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint-Denis is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,699 per month in Saint-Denis 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 57% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Saint-Denis, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Saint-Denis at $1,800. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint-Denis 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, Saint-Denis makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.