Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saku and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Saku: $1,099 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Saku
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Saku Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Saku

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,099

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,099 per month in Saku vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Saku $1,099
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,717 per month in Saku vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Saku $1,717
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,335 per month in Saku vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Saku $2,335
Budapest $3,429

Saku is about 32% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Saku sits 19% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 €14.91

$13.94 Ft 4,503

20.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 €62.9

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

15.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 €9.88

$10.19 Ft 3,291

9.03%

Cappuccino

$3.97 €3.53

$3.26 Ft 1,055

21.78%

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

$2.23 €1.98

$2.14 Ft 690

4.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.78 Ft 577

25.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.54 €5.82

$3.71 Ft 1,198

76.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 €6.11

$3.77 Ft 1,217

82.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.15 Ft 371

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.79 Ft 578

-21.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.49 Ft 804

-4.42%

Eggs

$2.88 €2.56

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-26.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.22 €9.98

$11.10 Ft 3,587

1.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 €7.76

$6.62 Ft 2,139

31.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 €13.24

$14.69 Ft 4,745

1.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.83 Ft 591

10.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.05 Ft 661

-29.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.37 Ft 765

7.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-25.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 €0.66

$0.99 Ft 320

-25.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.00 Ft 322

-24.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.58 Ft 511

18.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.67 Ft 216

44.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.54 €5.82

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-17.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.88 €8.79

$6.22 Ft 2,009

58.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.27 Ft 411

46.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.03 Ft 654

4.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 €3.12

$3.31 Ft 1,070

6.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.37 Ft 442

-28.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.71 €23.75

$19.83 Ft 6,406

34.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.82 Ft 589

10.44%

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

$27.7K €24.6K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-7.08%

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

$30.6K €27.2K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-9.59%

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

$301 €268

$171 Ft 55.3K

76.15%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-25.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.69 €29.07

$23.29 Ft 7,526

40.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$11.71 €10.42

$9.30 Ft 3,004

25.91%

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

$438 €390

$533 Ft 172.3K

-17.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,942 €8,844

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-40.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €89.0

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

0.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.96 €43.55

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

12.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$110 Ft 35.7K

-6.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$119 Ft 38.4K

1.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,013 €3,570

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-31.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,700 €2,402

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-30.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,813 €1,613

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

9.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.44

6.45

-46.67%

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

Last update for Saku: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saku

$352 32%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 38% $134

Eating Out

Saku

$279 25.4%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 20.2% $56

Groceries & Markets

Saku

$268 24.4%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 3.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Saku

$168 15.3%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Saku

$23 * 2.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 268% $63

Getting Around

Saku

$8.4 * 0.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 427% $36

Accommodation & Living

Saku

- * 0%

Budapest

$622 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 10% higher in Saku, 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 $71.0 in Saku versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Saku

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

02:38 2:38 AM

01:38 1:38 AM

1 h behind Saku

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,548

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saku Budapest 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Saku
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

Saku vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,648 per month in Saku and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Saku and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saku, where all-in costs run around $1,099, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Saku it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Saku – 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 Saku. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.