🇷🇴 Romania
55
Cost of Living Index in Romania
Learn more Last update: Nov 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Budapest
For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,197 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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🙂 Solo nomad: South Africa is 18.9% cheaper than Budapest without rent, and 27.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: South Africa is 22% cheaper than Budapest without rent, and 26.6% cheaper with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.89 R 180
$13.63 Ft 4,443
-20.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.93 R 710
$60.7 Ft 19.8K
-29.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.62 R 92.9
$10.02 Ft 3,266
-43.91%
Cappuccino
$2.34 R 38.74
$3.33 Ft 1,084
-29.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 R 18.21
$2.12 Ft 690
-48.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 R 13.82
$1.80 Ft 586
-53.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.43 R 40.16
$3.61 Ft 1,176
-32.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.96 R 48.85
$3.59 Ft 1,170
-17.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 R 19.61
$1.12 Ft 364
6.25%
White Bread (500g)
$1.12 R 18.55
$1.93 Ft 628
-41.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 R 30.29
$2.49 Ft 811
-26.51%
Eggs
$2.51 R 41.45
$3.94 Ft 1,286
-36.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.25 R 136
$11.28 Ft 3,677
-26.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.32 R 87.9
$6.73 Ft 2,195
-20.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.64 R 126
$14.44 Ft 4,708
-47.09%
Apples (1kg)
$1.81 R 29.86
$1.86 Ft 606
-2.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 R 27.85
$2.04 Ft 664
-17.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 R 29.49
$2.29 Ft 746
-22.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.76 R 29.15
$3.99 Ft 1,301
-55.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.50 R 24.73
$0.94 Ft 307
59.57%
Onion (1kg)
$1.46 R 24.10
$1.02 Ft 333
43.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 R 21.37
$1.65 Ft 539
-21.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 R 18.74
$0.68 Ft 222
66.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 R 55.9
$7.81 Ft 2,547
-56.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.08 R 84.0
$6.02 Ft 1,963
-15.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 R 24.50
$1.29 Ft 421
14.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 R 32.37
$2.02 Ft 660
-2.97%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.53 R 25.27
$1.50 Ft 488
2.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.2 R 996
$27.13 Ft 8,842
122.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.94 R 15.59
$3.36 Ft 1,094
-72.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 R 15.22
$1.37 Ft 448
-32.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.73 R 128
$19.96 Ft 6,505
-61.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 R 23.78
$1.86 Ft 608
-22.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.6K R 588.1K
$28.5K Ft 9.3M
24.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.4K R 536.2K
$33.4K Ft 10.9M
-2.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 R 2,218
$178 Ft 58.1K
-24.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.27 R 566
$23.58 Ft 7,686
45.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.66 R 672
$24.12 Ft 7,861
68.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.99 R 545
$69.7 Ft 22.7K
-52.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.61 R 192
$17.03 Ft 5,551
-31.83%
Cinema Ticket
$7.24 R 120
$10.48 Ft 3,416
-30.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$223 R 3,694
$625 Ft 203.8K
-64.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,429 R 122.8K
$19.6K Ft 6.4M
-62.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.0 R 893
$102 Ft 33.3K
-47.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.83 R 543
$43.41 Ft 14.2K
-24.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 R 1,677
$110 Ft 35.8K
-7.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.2 R 1,442
$121 Ft 39.3K
-27.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$485 R 8,024
$845 Ft 275.5K
-42.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$389 R 6,426
$638 Ft 208.1K
-39.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$941 R 15.5K
$1,609 Ft 524.4K
-41.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$795 R 13.1K
$1,217 Ft 396.7K
-34.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,071 R 17.7K
$5,555 Ft 1.8M
-80.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$768 R 12.7K
$3,898 Ft 1.3M
-80.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,475 R 24.4K
$1,724 Ft 562.1K
-14.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.23
6.34
77.13%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for South Africa: November 2, 2026
Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
South Africa $389 32.5%
Budapest $638 38.8% 64.2% $250
Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa $209 17.5%
Budapest $226 13.7% 8% $17
Groceries & Markets
South Africa $197 16.5%
Budapest $260 15.8% 31.6% $62
Eating Out
South Africa $158 13.2%
Budapest $220 13.4% 39.2% $62
Clothing & Footwear
South Africa $124 10.4%
Budapest $169 10.3% 36.4% $45
Getting Around
South Africa $72 6%
Budapest $43 2.6% 39.7% $29
Sport & Entertainment
South Africa $47 4%
Budapest $91 5.5% 90.9% $43
Accommodation & Living
South Africa $795 31.1%
Budapest $1.2K 34.9% 53.1% $422
Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa $243 9.5%
Budapest $249 7.2% 2.5% $6.1
Groceries & Markets
South Africa $456 17.8%
Budapest $612 17.6% 34.2% $156
Eating Out
South Africa $538 21%
Budapest $745 21.4% 38.5% $207
Clothing & Footwear
South Africa $276 10.8%
Budapest $376 10.8% 36.4% $100
Getting Around
South Africa $147 5.7%
Budapest $90 2.6% 38.9% $57
Sport & Entertainment
South Africa $107 4.2%
Budapest $198 5.7% 86.1% $92
Good to know
🇿🇦 South Africa
🇭🇺 Budapest
Weather
Population
62,027,503
1,686,222 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- South Africa Budapest 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
- South Africa
- 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
South Africa vs other spots: cost of living compared
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