Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $22,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,454 per month in Singapore vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Singapore $3,454
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $5,224 per month in Singapore vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Singapore $5,224
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $6,994 per month in Singapore vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Singapore $6,994
Budapest $3,489

Singapore costs about 113% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Singapore and Budapest sit above the global median – Singapore by 158%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-17.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

17.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-12.05%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$3.38 Ft 1,102

55.33%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$2.13 Ft 693

-14.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$1.87 Ft 609

-33.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.79

$3.75 Ft 1,222

124.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$3.57 Ft 1,163

180.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$1.13 Ft 369

160.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$1.84 Ft 600

34.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$2.39 Ft 777

13.39%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-2.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.58

$11.33 Ft 3,689

90.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.20

$6.74 Ft 2,194

41.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.27

$14.69 Ft 4,784

76.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$1.84 Ft 598

143.48%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$2.01 Ft 654

54.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$2.36 Ft 767

95.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-40.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$0.96 Ft 314

160.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$1.03 Ft 335

131.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$1.56 Ft 509

14.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$0.66 Ft 216

128.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.16

$7.96 Ft 2,594

78.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$6.01 Ft 1,956

295.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$1.30 Ft 422

246.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$2.08 Ft 677

119.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$1.50 Ft 490

5.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

$27.61 Ft 8,991

248.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$3.30 Ft 1,075

10.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$1.30 Ft 424

-38.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.72

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-18.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$1.81 Ft 591

38.67%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

431.47%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.7K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

327.37%

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

$175 SGD 224

$170 Ft 55.3K

2.99%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-48.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.11

$23.42 Ft 7,628

13.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

68.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.46

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-37.07%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$9.52 Ft 3,101

21.85%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$537 Ft 174.8K

172.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

70.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$101 Ft 33.0K

-19.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

17.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$113 Ft 36.7K

-1.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$119 Ft 38.7K

9.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$805 Ft 262.2K

262.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,725

$629 Ft 204.9K

238.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,241

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

264.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,081

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

239.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

320.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

324.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

168.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

6.43

-62.05%

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

Last update for Singapore: 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

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 70.4% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 43.7% $200

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 12.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 1.5% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 0.6% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 36.7% $49

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 60.6% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,916 in Singapore 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 169% higher in Singapore, 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 $71.0 in Singapore versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $457 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

06:43 6:43 AM

6 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.696 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Singapore Budapest 9,510 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
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

Singapore vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Singapore is pricier by about 113%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,180 per month in Singapore 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.

Public transport costs about 249% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,463 per month in Singapore and $537 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 $1,621, than in Singapore at $3,454. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore 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, Singapore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.