Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swords and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,638 a month against $2,598 in Swords, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Swords
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Swords Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Swords

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,598

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,598 per month in Swords vs $1,638 in Budapest, rent included.

Swords $2,598
Budapest $1,638

A couple spends around $3,804 per month in Swords vs $2,553 in Budapest, rent included.

Swords $3,804
Budapest $2,553

A family of three spends $5,010 per month in Swords vs $3,467 in Budapest, rent included.

Swords $5,010
Budapest $3,467

Swords costs about 59% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Swords and Budapest sit above the global median – Swords by 91%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.16 €19.91

$13.81 Ft 4,548

60.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 €88.6

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

60.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.86

$10.16 Ft 3,345

29.92%

Cappuccino

$4.93 €4.43

$3.22 Ft 1,061

53.11%

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

$2.98 €2.68

$2.06 Ft 679

44.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.83 Ft 604

18.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.03 €7.21

$3.60 Ft 1,187

123.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 €6.05

$3.66 Ft 1,207

84.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.19 Ft 392

32.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.87 Ft 616

25.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 €1.83

$2.37 Ft 779

-14.35%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.81

$3.96 Ft 1,304

7.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 €8.89

$11.16 Ft 3,677

-11.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.86 €9.76

$6.76 Ft 2,226

60.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.29 €11.94

$14.35 Ft 4,727

-7.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$1.81 Ft 595

51.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.11 Ft 695

7.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 €2.51

$2.33 Ft 769

19.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.75

$3.80 Ft 1,253

9.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.68

$0.99 Ft 327

88.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.33

$0.98 Ft 324

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.55 Ft 511

-16.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.70 Ft 229

171.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.52 €18.44

$7.79 Ft 2,567

163.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 €12.03

$6.05 Ft 1,993

121.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 €3.01

$1.28 Ft 421

161.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.10

$2.04 Ft 671

69.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.55 Ft 511

45.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,987

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 €4.49

$3.30 Ft 1,086

51.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.31 Ft 433

12.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.35 €33.55

$20.26 Ft 6,673

84.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.82 Ft 599

18.68%

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

$38.6K €34.7K

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

34.32%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

14.86%

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

$246 €221

$172 Ft 56.7K

43.05%

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

$18.68 €16.78

$23.95 Ft 7,890

-22.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.97

$23.31 Ft 7,679

119.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.58 €36.46

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

-40.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,229

Cinema Ticket

$13.43 €12.07

$10.18 Ft 3,353

31.93%

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

$1,010 €907

$600 Ft 197.8K

68.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,183 €4,656

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

-69.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €90.0

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

1.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.06 €43.18

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

11.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.1

$113 Ft 37.2K

-4.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$117 Ft 38.6K

-3.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 €1,398

$836 Ft 275.4K

86.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 €1,206

$640 Ft 210.7K

109.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,584 €2,322

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

61.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,165 €1,945

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

79.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,721 €4,242

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

-16.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,447 €3,097

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

-9.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

6.45

-42.95%

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

Last update for Swords: October 26, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Swords

$1.3K 51.7%

Budapest

$640 39.1% 52.3% $702

Eating Out

Swords

$350 13.5%

Budapest

$221 13.5% 37% $130

Groceries & Markets

Swords

$335 12.9%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 22.8% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swords

$316 12.2%

Budapest

$219 13.4% 30.6% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Swords

$166 6.4%

Budapest

$168 10.2% 0.9% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Swords

$67 2.6%

Budapest

$89 5.4% 31.9% $22

Getting Around

Swords

$21 * 0.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 103% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,556 in Swords versus $836 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Swords versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $335 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Swords

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

11:15 11:15 AM

1 h ahead of Swords

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,776

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Swords Budapest 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Swords
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

Swords vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Swords is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,897 per month in Swords and $2,457 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $836 there versus $1,556 in Swords.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Swords and $61 in Budapest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Swords, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,638, than in Swords at $2,598. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Swords 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.