Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southern Cross and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,347 in Southern Cross, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Southern Cross
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Southern Cross Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Southern Cross

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,347

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,347 per month in Southern Cross vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Southern Cross $2,347
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,547 per month in Southern Cross vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Southern Cross $3,547
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,747 per month in Southern Cross vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Southern Cross $4,747
Budapest $3,429

Southern Cross costs about 45% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Southern Cross and Budapest sit above the global median – Southern Cross by 74%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.67 A$28.30

$13.94 Ft 4,503

41.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 A$89.1

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

1.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 A$15.13

$10.19 Ft 3,291

3.24%

Cappuccino

$3.57 A$5.14

$3.26 Ft 1,055

9.51%

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

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.14 Ft 690

15.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 A$2.44

$1.78 Ft 577

-4.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 A$10.19

$3.71 Ft 1,198

90.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 A$11.83

$3.77 Ft 1,217

118.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.26

$1.15 Ft 371

36.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 A$3.80

$1.79 Ft 578

47.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.14

$2.49 Ft 804

-12.45%

Eggs

$2.72 A$3.92

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-30.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 A$13.55

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-15.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 A$13.16

$6.62 Ft 2,139

38.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 A$21.13

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-0.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 A$5.51

$1.83 Ft 591

109.29%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.48

$2.05 Ft 661

51.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.78

$2.37 Ft 765

40.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$3.90 Ft 1,260

22.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.07

$0.99 Ft 320

185.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.43

$1.00 Ft 322

138.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.46

$1.58 Ft 511

51.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.11

$0.67 Ft 216

119.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.77 A$50.0

$7.96 Ft 2,572

336.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 A$20.19

$6.22 Ft 2,009

125.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.63 A$6.67

$1.27 Ft 411

264.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.67

$2.03 Ft 654

162.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 A$3.88

$1.52 Ft 490

77.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.3 A$133

$28.02 Ft 9,053

229.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 A$4.32

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-9.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 A$2.40

$1.37 Ft 442

21.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.90 A$56.0

$19.83 Ft 6,406

96.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.80

$1.82 Ft 589

-31.32%

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

$24.1K A$34.7K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-19.06%

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

$28.1K A$40.5K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-16.81%

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

$201 A$289

$171 Ft 55.3K

17.27%

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

$28.18 A$40.56

$23.51 Ft 7,596

19.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.8 A$81.7

$23.29 Ft 7,526

143.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.78 A$71.6

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-26.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.91 A$25.77

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-5.19%

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 A$19.20

$9.30 Ft 3,004

43.44%

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

$2,080 A$2,994

$533 Ft 172.3K

290.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K A$25.9K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

7.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.0 A$116

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-18.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 A$82.2

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

31.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.1 A$141

$110 Ft 35.7K

-11.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$119 Ft 38.4K

11.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 A$1,821

$830 Ft 268.3K

52.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 A$1,507

$622 Ft 200.9K

68.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,210 A$3,180

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

38.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 A$2,790

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

65.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,734 A$8,251

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-1.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,261 A$7,571

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

35.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,010 A$10.1K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

324.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

6.45

-3.10%

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

Last update for Southern Cross: 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

Southern Cross

$1K 44.6%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 40.6% $425

Groceries & Markets

Southern Cross

$357 15.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 27.8% $99

Eating Out

Southern Cross

$300 12.8%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 25.7% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southern Cross

$286 12.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 23.7% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Southern Cross

$166 7.1%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 1.1% $1.8

Getting Around

Southern Cross

$114 4.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 61.3% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Southern Cross

$76 3.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 12.6% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,265 in Southern Cross 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 325% higher in Southern Cross, 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 $62.0 in Southern Cross versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Southern Cross

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

15:18 3:18 PM

6 h behind Southern Cross

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

700

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 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 AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Southern Cross Budapest 13,240 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Southern Cross
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

Southern Cross vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Southern Cross is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,520 per month in Southern Cross 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 229% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,080 per month in Southern Cross 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 Southern Cross at $2,347. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Southern Cross 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, Southern Cross makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.