Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swindon and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,391 in Swindon, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Swindon
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Swindon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Swindon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,391

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,391 per month in Swindon vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Swindon $2,391
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,423 per month in Swindon vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Swindon $3,423
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,455 per month in Swindon vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Swindon $4,455
Budapest $3,489

Swindon costs about 47% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Swindon and Budapest sit above the global median – Swindon by 78%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.32 £15.36

$13.99 Ft 4,555

45.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 £46.78

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

2.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 £7.85

$9.96 Ft 3,244

4.22%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.48

$3.38 Ft 1,102

36.09%

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

$2.67 £2.02

$2.13 Ft 693

25.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 £1.25

$1.87 Ft 609

-11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 £4.10

$3.75 Ft 1,222

44.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.40

$3.57 Ft 1,163

25.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.14

$1.13 Ft 369

33.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.84 Ft 600

-5.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 £1.41

$2.39 Ft 777

-21.76%

Eggs

$4.21 £3.18

$3.83 Ft 1,246

9.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.03 £6.07

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-29.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.90 £6.73

$6.74 Ft 2,194

32.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 £9.99

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-10.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.32

$1.84 Ft 598

66.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 £1.37

$2.01 Ft 654

-9.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 £1.97

$2.36 Ft 767

10.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 £3.16

$3.77 Ft 1,227

10.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 £1.54

$0.96 Ft 314

111.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 £1.13

$1.03 Ft 335

44.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.56 Ft 509

-22.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 £1.33

$0.66 Ft 216

166.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.94 £17.34

$7.96 Ft 2,594

188.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 £8.09

$6.01 Ft 1,956

78.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 £2.08

$1.30 Ft 422

111.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 £2.64

$2.08 Ft 677

67.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 £2.33

$1.50 Ft 490

105.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 £67.6

$27.61 Ft 8,991

224.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 £2.56

$3.30 Ft 1,075

2.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.30 Ft 424

23.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.70 £16.40

$19.78 Ft 6,442

9.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.51

$1.81 Ft 591

10.50%

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

$37.7K £28.5K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

28.71%

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

$39.8K £30.1K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

16.72%

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

$323 £244

$170 Ft 55.3K

89.87%

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

$15.61 £11.80

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-34.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.79 £28.57

$23.42 Ft 7,628

61.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.19 £28.11

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-43.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.01 £17.39

$19.18 Ft 6,245

19.97%

Cinema Ticket

$13.83 £10.45

$9.52 Ft 3,101

45.27%

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

$1,180 £892

$537 Ft 174.8K

119.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,414 £4,092

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-67.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.2 £67.4

$101 Ft 33.0K

-11.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.92 £33.20

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

2.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 £63.2

$113 Ft 36.7K

-25.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.5 £66.1

$119 Ft 38.7K

-26.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 £919

$805 Ft 262.2K

50.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,124 £849

$629 Ft 204.9K

78.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,903 £1,438

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

22.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,751 £1,324

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

50.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 £1,989

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-53.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,012 £2,277

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-24.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,941 £2,223

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

80.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

6.43

-24.26%

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

Last update for Swindon: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Swindon

$1.1K 46.5%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 44% $494

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swindon

$376 15.6%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 42.2% $159

Eating Out

Swindon

$302 12.5%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 25.8% $78

Groceries & Markets

Swindon

$300 12.4%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 14% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Swindon

$137 5.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 23.5% $32

Getting Around

Swindon

$113 4.7%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 61.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Swindon

$65 2.7%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 31.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,215 in Swindon versus $805 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 81% higher in Swindon, 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 Swindon versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Swindon

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

01:47 1:47 AM

1 h ahead of Swindon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,638

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 9, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 9, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Swindon Budapest 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Swindon
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

Swindon vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Swindon is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,586 per month in Swindon and $2,432 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 224% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,180 per month in Swindon and $537 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 $1,621, than in Swindon at $2,391. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Swindon 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, Swindon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.