Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,466 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,466

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,466 per month in Scarborough vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Scarborough $2,466
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,385 per month in Scarborough vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Scarborough $3,385
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,304 per month in Scarborough vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Scarborough $4,304
Budapest $3,429

Scarborough costs about 52% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Scarborough and Budapest sit above the global median – Scarborough by 83%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.49 CA$23.31

$13.94 Ft 4,503

18.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 CA$97.2

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

12.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$14.93

$10.19 Ft 3,291

3.63%

Cappuccino

$3.87 CA$5.47

$3.26 Ft 1,055

18.71%

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

$2.07 CA$2.92

$2.14 Ft 690

-3.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.78 Ft 577

-23.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.82

$3.71 Ft 1,198

68.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$3.77 Ft 1,217

87.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 CA$3.56

$1.15 Ft 371

118.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$1.79 Ft 578

49.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 CA$3.01

$2.49 Ft 804

-14.46%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.88

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-11.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 CA$12.63

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-19.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.01 CA$15.56

$6.62 Ft 2,139

66.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 CA$17.77

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-14.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 CA$4.56

$1.83 Ft 591

75.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$2.05 Ft 661

-40.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 CA$4.79

$2.37 Ft 765

43.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$3.90 Ft 1,260

2.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$0.99 Ft 320

66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$1.00 Ft 322

58.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$1.58 Ft 511

44.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$0.67 Ft 216

77.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.74 CA$19.43

$7.96 Ft 2,572

72.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.75 CA$18.03

$6.22 Ft 2,009

104.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 CA$2.99

$1.27 Ft 411

66.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 CA$3.55

$2.03 Ft 654

23.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 CA$3.32

$1.52 Ft 490

54.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 CA$146

$28.02 Ft 9,053

268.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 CA$4.17

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-10.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$1.37 Ft 442

-8.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.32 CA$30.14

$19.83 Ft 6,406

7.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.82 Ft 589

-33.52%

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

$27.5K CA$38.8K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-7.86%

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

$19.9K CA$28.1K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-41.24%

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

$141 CA$199

$171 Ft 55.3K

-17.86%

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

$34.98 CA$49.45

$23.51 Ft 7,596

48.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$67.7

$23.29 Ft 7,526

105.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.43 CA$50.1

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-47.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.38 CA$50.0

$18.89 Ft 6,104

87.29%

Cinema Ticket

$12.45 CA$17.60

$9.30 Ft 3,004

33.87%

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

$808 CA$1,142

$533 Ft 172.3K

51.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K CA$14.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-37.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 CA$72.9

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-48.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.00 CA$55.1

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-10.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 CA$119

$110 Ft 35.7K

-23.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$146

$119 Ft 38.4K

-13.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 CA$2,396

$830 Ft 268.3K

104.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 CA$1,898

$622 Ft 200.9K

115.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 CA$3,011

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

33.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 CA$2,454

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

48.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,564 CA$10.7K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

29.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,121 CA$8,653

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

57.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,908 CA$4,111

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

76.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

6.45

-29.46%

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

Last update for Scarborough: 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

Scarborough

$1.3K 54.4%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 53.7% $720

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$323 13.1%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 20.2% $65

Eating Out

Scarborough

$269 10.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 17.2% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$223 9.1%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 2.5% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$125 5.1%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 33.9% $42

Getting Around

Scarborough

$122 5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 63.7% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$60 2.5%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 42.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,695 in Scarborough 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 76% higher in Scarborough, 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 $69.0 in Scarborough versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

16:21 4:21 PM

22:21 10:21 PM

6 h ahead of Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,960

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Scarborough Budapest 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Scarborough
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

Scarborough vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Scarborough is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,699 per month in Scarborough 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 269% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $808 per month in Scarborough 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 Scarborough at $2,466. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Scarborough 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, Scarborough makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.