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 $2,133 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

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

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,133

/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 $2,133 per month in Scarborough vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Scarborough $2,133
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,068 per month in Scarborough vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Scarborough $3,068
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,002 per month in Scarborough vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Scarborough $4,002
Budapest $3,429

Scarborough costs about 32% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Scarborough and Budapest sit above the global median – Scarborough by 58%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.76 £11.07

$13.94 Ft 4,503

5.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.4 £52.0

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

13.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 £8.76

$10.19 Ft 3,291

14.62%

Cappuccino

$3.37 £2.53

$3.26 Ft 1,055

3.37%

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

$2.08 £1.56

$2.14 Ft 690

-2.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 £0.74

$1.78 Ft 577

-44.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.76 £3.57

$3.71 Ft 1,198

28.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 £3.25

$3.77 Ft 1,217

15.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 £0.91

$1.15 Ft 371

6.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 £1.02

$1.79 Ft 578

-24.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 £0.81

$2.49 Ft 804

-57.03%

Eggs

$3.57 £2.68

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-8.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.78 £5.84

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-29.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.28 £5.46

$6.62 Ft 2,139

9.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.08 £10.57

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-4.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 £2.41

$1.83 Ft 591

75.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.05 Ft 661

0.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 £1.99

$2.37 Ft 765

11.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 £1.56

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-46.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 £1.31

$0.99 Ft 320

76.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.00 Ft 322

60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.86

$1.58 Ft 511

-27.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 £1.48

$0.67 Ft 216

195.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.60 £16.95

$7.96 Ft 2,572

183.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.06 £6.80

$6.22 Ft 2,009

45.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 £2.67

$1.27 Ft 411

179.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 £2.73

$2.03 Ft 654

79.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.35 £2.51

$1.52 Ft 490

120.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.0 £65.3

$28.02 Ft 9,053

210.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.09

$3.31 Ft 1,070

64.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.05 £3.79

$1.37 Ft 442

268.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.92 £24.70

$19.83 Ft 6,406

66.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.82 Ft 589

6.59%

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

$35.7K £26.7K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

19.66%

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

$39.0K £29.2K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

15.21%

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

$356 £267

$171 Ft 55.3K

107.90%

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

$25.73 £19.30

$23.51 Ft 7,596

9.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.36 £25.02

$23.29 Ft 7,526

43.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 £48.70

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-3.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.72 £9.54

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-32.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 £7.93

$9.30 Ft 3,004

13.66%

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

$1,742 £1,307

$533 Ft 172.3K

226.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K £11.0K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-12.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 £50.0

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-33.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.45 £26.59

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-18.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.2

$110 Ft 35.7K

-4.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 £85.6

$119 Ft 38.4K

-4.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 £651

$830 Ft 268.3K

4.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 £632

$622 Ft 200.9K

35.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 £1,152

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-3.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 £999

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

13.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 £686

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-44.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

6.45

-14.26%

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

Last update for Scarborough: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scarborough

$842 39.5%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 26.1% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$415 19.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 47.5% $197

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$276 12.9%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 6.4% $18

Eating Out

Scarborough

$238 11.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 6.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$145 6.8%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 15.7% $23

Getting Around

Scarborough

$131 6.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 66.2% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$86 4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $867 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 81% 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 $69.0 in Scarborough versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Scarborough

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

11:13 11:13 AM

1 h ahead of Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,749

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Scarborough Budapest 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min 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 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,199 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 210% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,742 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 $2,133. 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.