Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John's and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,816 in Saint John's, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Saint John's
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Saint John's Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Saint John's

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda

$1,816

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,816 per month in Saint John's vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Saint John's $1,816
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,873 per month in Saint John's vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Saint John's $2,873
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,929 per month in Saint John's vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Saint John's $3,929
Budapest $3,489

Saint John's costs about 12% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Saint John's and Budapest sit above the global median – Saint John's by 36%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.50 EC$60.8

$13.99 Ft 4,551

60.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.0 EC$203

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

24.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.97 EC$29.62

$9.96 Ft 3,241

10.14%

Cappuccino

$3.80 EC$10.27

$3.38 Ft 1,100

12.43%

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

$2.03 EC$5.47

$2.13 Ft 692

-4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 EC$2.34

$1.87 Ft 608

-53.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 EC$5.05

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-50.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 EC$12.09

$3.57 Ft 1,162

25.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 EC$5.88

$1.13 Ft 368

92.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 EC$7.59

$1.84 Ft 599

52.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 EC$5.14

$2.39 Ft 777

-20.50%

Eggs

$6.63 EC$17.91

$3.83 Ft 1,245

73.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 EC$22.46

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-26.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 EC$22.44

$6.74 Ft 2,192

23.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

Apples (1kg)

$6.48 EC$17.49

$1.84 Ft 597

252.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 EC$6.54

$2.01 Ft 653

20.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.12 EC$21.93

$2.36 Ft 767

244.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.10 EC$21.87

$3.77 Ft 1,226

114.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 EC$7.88

$0.96 Ft 313

204.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 EC$7.84

$1.03 Ft 334

181.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 EC$7.12

$1.56 Ft 509

69.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 EC$4.34

$0.66 Ft 216

143.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 EC$14.93

$6.01 Ft 1,954

-7.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 EC$7.36

$1.30 Ft 421

110.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 EC$12.29

$2.08 Ft 676

118.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

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)

$1.63 EC$4.40

$1.81 Ft 591

-9.94%

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)

$256 EC$692

$170 Ft 55.3K

50.88%

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

$40.32 EC$109

$23.98 Ft 7,802

68.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.4 EC$220

$23.42 Ft 7,621

247.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.3 EC$176

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-1.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$6.43 EC$17.36

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-32.46%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,855 EC$5,009

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-88.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.21 EC$133

$101 Ft 33.0K

-51.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 EC$204

$113 Ft 36.7K

-33.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 EC$2,796

$805 Ft 262.0K

28.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 EC$1,835

$629 Ft 204.7K

8.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 EC$4,573

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

9.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 EC$4,043

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

28.31%

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)

$1,344 EC$3,630

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-17.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

6.43

-14.46%

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

Last update for Saint John's: 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 John's

$680 37.2%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 7.4% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John's

$378 20.7%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 42.5% $161

Groceries & Markets

Saint John's

$349 * 19.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 26.1% $91

Eating Out

Saint John's

$288 15.8%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 22.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John's

$78 4.3%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 9.1% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John's

$56 * 3.1%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 202% $113

Getting Around

Saint John's

- * 0%

Budapest

$43 2.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,036 in Saint John's 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 21% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Saint John's versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇬 Saint John's

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

10:44 10:44 AM

6 h ahead of Saint John's

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,926 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.33 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.33 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 XCD in detail →

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Between locations

Saint John's Budapest 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint John's
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

Saint John's vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint John's is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,724 per month in Saint John's 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.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Saint John's, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Saint John's and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Saint John's at $1,816. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint John's 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 John's makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.