Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southend-on-Sea and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,289 in Southend-on-Sea, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Southend-on-Sea
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Southend-on-Sea Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Southend-on-Sea

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,289

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,289 per month in Southend-on-Sea vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Southend-on-Sea $2,289
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,534 per month in Southend-on-Sea vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Southend-on-Sea $3,534
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,779 per month in Southend-on-Sea vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Southend-on-Sea $4,779
Budapest $3,429

Southend-on-Sea costs about 41% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Southend-on-Sea and Budapest sit above the global median – Southend-on-Sea by 70%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 £14.92

$13.94 Ft 4,503

42.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 £62.5

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

35.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 £6.88

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-10.01%

Cappuccino

$4.37 £3.28

$3.26 Ft 1,055

34.05%

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

$2.65 £1.99

$2.14 Ft 690

23.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 £1.44

$1.78 Ft 577

7.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 £5.29

$3.71 Ft 1,198

90.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 £3.48

$3.77 Ft 1,217

23.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 £1.10

$1.15 Ft 371

26.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.79 Ft 578

-21.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$2.49 Ft 804

-45.78%

Eggs

$4.13 £3.10

$3.90 Ft 1,261

5.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.82 £5.87

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-29.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.51 £4.89

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-1.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.04 £11.28

$14.69 Ft 4,745

2.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$1.83 Ft 591

65.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$2.05 Ft 661

-34.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$2.37 Ft 765

-15.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 £1.95

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 £1.33

$0.99 Ft 320

79.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.00 Ft 322

83.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 £0.67

$1.58 Ft 511

-43.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.18

$0.67 Ft 216

135.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.06 £16.55

$7.96 Ft 2,572

177.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 £7.60

$6.22 Ft 2,009

62.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 £2.49

$1.27 Ft 411

161.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 £2.47

$2.03 Ft 654

62.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 £2.04

$1.52 Ft 490

78.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.26 £34.70

$28.02 Ft 9,053

65.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 £4.33

$3.31 Ft 1,070

74.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 £2.03

$1.37 Ft 442

97.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.18 £36.15

$19.83 Ft 6,406

142.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.82 Ft 589

13.19%

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

$38.1K £28.6K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

27.80%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

19.93%

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

$177 £133

$171 Ft 55.3K

3.33%

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

$18.31 £13.74

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-22.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.18 £31.65

$23.29 Ft 7,526

81.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$3.92 £2.94

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-57.85%

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

$1,959 £1,470

$533 Ft 172.3K

267.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K £14.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

17.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 £63.8

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-14.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.31 £34.74

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

6.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 £69.6

$110 Ft 35.7K

-15.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 £78.6

$119 Ft 38.4K

-11.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 £1,020

$830 Ft 268.3K

63.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 £935

$622 Ft 200.9K

100.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,334 £1,751

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

46.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,372 £1,780

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

102.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,640 £3,481

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-20.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,970 £2,978

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

2.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,700 £2,776

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

124.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

6.45

-21.86%

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

Last update for Southend-on-Sea: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Southend-on-Sea

$1.2K 54.5%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 50.1% $625

Eating Out

Southend-on-Sea

$302 13.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 26.1% $79

Groceries & Markets

Southend-on-Sea

$271 11.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 4.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southend-on-Sea

$237 10.4%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 8.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Southend-on-Sea

$148 6.5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 13.2% $20

Getting Around

Southend-on-Sea

$76 3.3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 42.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Southend-on-Sea

$7.8 * 0.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 999% $78

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,359 in Southend-on-Sea 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 124% higher in Southend-on-Sea, 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 $83.0 in Southend-on-Sea versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $271 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Southend-on-Sea

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

1 h ahead of Southend-on-Sea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

181,808

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 →

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Southend-on-Sea Budapest 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Southend-on-Sea
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

Southend-on-Sea vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Southend-on-Sea is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,434 per month in Southend-on-Sea 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 65% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,959 per month in Southend-on-Sea 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 Southend-on-Sea at $2,289. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Southend-on-Sea 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, Southend-on-Sea makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.