Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Thomas and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,432 per month in St. Thomas vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

St. Thomas $2,432
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in St. Thomas vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

St. Thomas $3,274
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,117 per month in St. Thomas vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

St. Thomas $4,117
Budapest $3,429

St. Thomas costs about 50% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both St. Thomas and Budapest sit above the global median – St. Thomas by 80%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.05 CA$29.92

$13.94 Ft 4,525

51.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 CA$89.0

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

2.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.38 CA$16.18

$10.19 Ft 3,307

11.68%

Cappuccino

$3.32 CA$4.71

$3.26 Ft 1,060

1.84%

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

$2.19 CA$3.12

$2.14 Ft 694

2.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$1.78 Ft 579

-10.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 CA$7.14

$3.71 Ft 1,204

35.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 CA$8.37

$3.77 Ft 1,223

56.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 CA$2.96

$1.15 Ft 372

80.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 CA$3.70

$1.79 Ft 580

45.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 CA$5.30

$2.49 Ft 808

49.80%

Eggs

$3.09 CA$4.39

$3.90 Ft 1,267

-20.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 CA$14.13

$11.10 Ft 3,605

-10.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.43 CA$21.92

$6.62 Ft 2,149

133.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.20 CA$27.29

$14.69 Ft 4,769

30.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.49

$1.83 Ft 594

110.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 CA$1.76

$2.05 Ft 664

-39.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 CA$4.97

$2.37 Ft 769

47.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 CA$5.64

$3.90 Ft 1,266

1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.78

$0.99 Ft 322

239.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.36

$1.00 Ft 323

207.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 CA$4.06

$1.58 Ft 514

80.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 CA$2.07

$0.67 Ft 217

117.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CA$15.61

$7.96 Ft 2,585

37.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 CA$18.10

$6.22 Ft 2,019

104.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 CA$3.41

$1.27 Ft 413

88.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 CA$3.95

$2.03 Ft 658

36.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 CA$3.20

$1.52 Ft 492

48.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.7 CA$83.4

$28.02 Ft 9,098

109.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 CA$3.27

$3.31 Ft 1,075

-30.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 CA$2.30

$1.37 Ft 444

18.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.70 CA$30.85

$19.83 Ft 6,438

9.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.60

$1.82 Ft 591

-37.91%

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

$28.0K CA$39.8K

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

-5.93%

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

$19.7K CA$28.0K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-41.71%

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

$123 CA$175

$171 Ft 55.6K

-27.90%

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

$42.76 CA$60.8

$23.51 Ft 7,634

81.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 CA$78.8

$23.29 Ft 7,563

138.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.43 CA$63.1

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

-34.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.32 CA$28.87

$18.89 Ft 6,135

7.57%

Cinema Ticket

$10.33 CA$14.69

$9.30 Ft 3,019

11.08%

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

$399 CA$567

$533 Ft 173.2K

-25.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K CA$23.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-0.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$76.1

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

-46.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.84 CA$50.9

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

-17.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 CA$117

$110 Ft 35.8K

-25.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 CA$129

$119 Ft 38.6K

-23.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 CA$1,631

$830 Ft 269.6K

38.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 CA$1,801

$622 Ft 201.9K

103.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 CA$2,550

$1,594 Ft 517.4K

12.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 CA$2,089

$1,170 Ft 380.0K

25.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,187 CA$5,951

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-28.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,561 CA$5,061

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-8.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,970 CA$4,221

$1,651 Ft 536.1K

79.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

6.45

-22.64%

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

Last update for St. Thomas: 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

St. Thomas

$1.3K 52.1%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 50.9% $645

Groceries & Markets

St. Thomas

$387 15.9%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 33.4% $130

Eating Out

St. Thomas

$294 12.1%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 24.3% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Thomas

$222 9.1%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 1.7% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

St. Thomas

$118 4.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 42% $50

Getting Around

St. Thomas

$78 3.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 43.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

St. Thomas

$65 2.7%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 32.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,148 in St. Thomas 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 80% higher in St. Thomas, 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 $63.0 in St. Thomas versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $387 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

03:25 3:25 AM

6 h ahead of St. Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,909

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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St. Thomas Budapest 7,300 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

St. Thomas vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Thomas is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,648 per month in St. Thomas 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 109% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $399 per month in St. Thomas 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 St. Thomas at $2,432. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Thomas 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, St. Thomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.