Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sale and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,445 in Sale, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Sale
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Sale Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Sale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,445

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,445 per month in Sale vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Sale $2,445
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,589 per month in Sale vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Sale $3,589
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,732 per month in Sale vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Sale $4,732
Budapest $3,429

Sale costs about 51% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sale and Budapest sit above the global median – Sale by 81%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 A$21.72

$13.94 Ft 4,535

8.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 A$118

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

34.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.48 A$16.45

$10.19 Ft 3,315

12.66%

Cappuccino

$3.80 A$5.44

$3.26 Ft 1,062

16.56%

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

$3.10 A$4.44

$2.14 Ft 695

44.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 A$3.02

$1.78 Ft 581

17.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.47 A$12.13

$3.71 Ft 1,207

128.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 A$11.25

$3.77 Ft 1,226

108.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 A$2.29

$1.15 Ft 373

39.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 A$3.56

$1.79 Ft 582

39.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 A$3.26

$2.49 Ft 809

-8.84%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.94

$3.90 Ft 1,270

42.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.15

$11.10 Ft 3,613

-17.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 A$12.85

$6.62 Ft 2,154

35.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.39 A$22.05

$14.69 Ft 4,780

4.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 A$5.15

$1.83 Ft 596

96.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.15

$2.05 Ft 666

40.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.28

$2.37 Ft 771

26.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 A$6.02

$3.90 Ft 1,269

7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.94

$0.99 Ft 323

177.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.28

$1.00 Ft 324

129.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 A$3.04

$1.58 Ft 515

34.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 A$1.95

$0.67 Ft 217

102.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.03 A$63.1

$7.96 Ft 2,591

453.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 A$21.52

$6.22 Ft 2,023

141.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.58 A$6.56

$1.27 Ft 414

260.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.49

$2.03 Ft 659

157.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 A$4.17

$1.52 Ft 494

91.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.6 A$121

$28.02 Ft 9,118

201.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 A$5.62

$3.31 Ft 1,077

18.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 A$2.13

$1.37 Ft 445

8.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.41 A$65.1

$19.83 Ft 6,452

129.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 A$1.64

$1.82 Ft 593

-36.81%

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

$26.1K A$37.4K

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

-12.33%

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

$28.3K A$40.5K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-16.43%

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

$210 A$301

$171 Ft 55.7K

22.66%

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

$31.51 A$45.14

$23.51 Ft 7,651

34.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 A$86.7

$23.29 Ft 7,580

159.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.9 A$90.1

$67.5 Ft 22.0K

-6.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.87 A$24.17

$18.89 Ft 6,149

-10.69%

Cinema Ticket

$15.86 A$22.72

$9.30 Ft 3,025

70.54%

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

$2,317 A$3,319

$533 Ft 173.6K

334.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K A$31.2K

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

29.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 A$106

$99.6 Ft 32.4K

-25.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 A$72.4

$43.49 Ft 14.2K

16.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 A$147

$110 Ft 35.9K

-7.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 A$153

$119 Ft 38.7K

-10.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 A$2,151

$830 Ft 270.3K

80.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 A$1,648

$622 Ft 202.4K

84.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,440 A$3,496

$1,594 Ft 518.6K

53.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,855 A$2,657

$1,170 Ft 380.8K

58.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,605 A$9,462

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

13.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,309 A$6,173

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

10.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 537.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

6.45

-9.46%

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

Last update for Sale: 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

Sale

$1.2K 47.1%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 45.9% $528

Groceries & Markets

Sale

$360 14.7%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 28.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sale

$302 12.4%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 27.8% $84

Eating Out

Sale

$280 11.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 20.4% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Sale

$150 6.1%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 11.6% $17

Getting Around

Sale

$108 4.4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 58.9% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Sale

$95 3.9%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 9% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,502 in Sale 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Sale versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sale

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

00:18 12:18 AM

9 h behind Sale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,673

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Sale Budapest 15,730 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Sale
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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

Sale vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sale is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,667 per month in Sale 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 202% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,317 per month in Sale 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 Sale at $2,445. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sale 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, Sale makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.