Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southwark and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Southwark: $1,473 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

72

Cost of Living Index in Southwark
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Southwark Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Southwark

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,473

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,473 per month in Southwark vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Southwark $1,473
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $4,277 per month in Southwark vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Southwark $4,277
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $7,080 per month in Southwark vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Southwark $7,080
Budapest $3,429

Southwark is about 9% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Southwark and Budapest sit above the global median – Southwark by 9%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.89 £18.67

$13.94 Ft 4,503

78.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.4 £73.8

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

60.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 £7.99

$10.19 Ft 3,291

4.51%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.28

$3.26 Ft 1,055

75.15%

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

$2.97 £2.22

$2.14 Ft 690

38.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 £1.87

$1.78 Ft 577

40.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.43 £7.07

$3.71 Ft 1,198

154.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.01 £6.01

$3.77 Ft 1,217

112.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.15 Ft 371

69.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 £1.53

$1.79 Ft 578

13.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 £1.58

$2.49 Ft 804

-15.66%

Eggs

$4.40 £3.30

$3.90 Ft 1,261

12.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 £8.74

$11.10 Ft 3,587

4.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 £7.04

$6.62 Ft 2,139

41.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.91 £11.19

$14.69 Ft 4,745

1.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.21

$1.83 Ft 591

61.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 £1.02

$2.05 Ft 661

-33.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 £2.15

$2.37 Ft 765

21.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.53

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-13.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$0.99 Ft 320

66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.00 Ft 322

73.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.58 Ft 511

-17.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 £1.33

$0.67 Ft 216

165.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.70 £17.78

$7.96 Ft 2,572

197.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 £8.91

$6.22 Ft 2,009

90.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 £2.27

$1.27 Ft 411

137.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$2.03 Ft 654

59.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 £2.93

$1.52 Ft 490

156.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$159 £119

$28.02 Ft 9,053

468.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 £3.79

$3.31 Ft 1,070

52.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 £2.02

$1.37 Ft 442

97.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.31 £29.49

$19.83 Ft 6,406

98.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.82 Ft 589

17.58%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

29.49%

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

$40.2K £30.2K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

19.03%

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

$329 £247

$171 Ft 55.3K

92.34%

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

$17.85 £13.39

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-24.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.79 £30.60

$23.29 Ft 7,526

75.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$17.69 £13.27

$9.30 Ft 3,004

90.22%

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

$2,484 £1,864

$533 Ft 172.3K

365.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K £22.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

78.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 £68.2

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-8.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.17 £34.63

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

6.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £77.1

$110 Ft 35.7K

-6.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 £66.9

$119 Ft 38.4K

-25.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,309 £1,732

$830 Ft 268.3K

178.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,679 £4,260

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

256.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,867 £2,901

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

230.45%

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)

$4,165 £3,124

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

152.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

6.45

-20.62%

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

Last update for Southwark: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southwark

$388 26.3%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 43.8% $170

Eating Out

Southwark

$385 26.1%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 42% $162

Groceries & Markets

Southwark

$324 22%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 20.4% $66

Getting Around

Southwark

$193 13.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 77.1% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Southwark

$148 10.1%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 13.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Southwark

$35 * 2.4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 144% $51

Accommodation & Living

Southwark

- * 0%

Budapest

$622 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,309 in Southwark 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 152% higher in Southwark, 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 $98.0 in Southwark versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Southwark

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

23:26 11:26 PM

1 h ahead of Southwark

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,552

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 17, 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 17, 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

Southwark Budapest 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Southwark
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

Southwark vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,210 per month in Southwark 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 Southwark, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 468% less in Southwark. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,484 per month in Southwark and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Southwark, where all-in costs run around $1,473, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Southwark it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Southwark – 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 Southwark. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.