Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,182 per month in Sydney vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Sydney $3,182
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $4,696 per month in Sydney vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Sydney $4,696
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $6,210 per month in Sydney vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Sydney $6,210
Budapest $3,489

Sydney costs about 96% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Budapest sit above the global median – Sydney by 137%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.37

$13.99 Ft 4,555

26.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

60.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.15

$9.96 Ft 3,244

19.88%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.75

$3.38 Ft 1,102

18.34%

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

$2.84 A$4.07

$2.13 Ft 693

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.26

$1.87 Ft 609

21.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.33

$3.75 Ft 1,222

110.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.24

$3.57 Ft 1,163

99.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.39

$1.13 Ft 369

46.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.01

$1.84 Ft 600

51.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.34

$2.39 Ft 777

-2.93%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.94

$3.83 Ft 1,246

44.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.35

$11.33 Ft 3,689

6.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.14

$6.74 Ft 2,194

45.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.87

$14.69 Ft 4,784

13.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.78

$1.84 Ft 598

118.48%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.01 Ft 654

56.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.03

$2.36 Ft 767

48.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.42

$3.77 Ft 1,227

18.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.77

$0.96 Ft 314

245.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.03 Ft 335

123.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.37

$1.56 Ft 509

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.66

$0.66 Ft 216

74.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.7

$7.96 Ft 2,594

465.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$20.05

$6.01 Ft 1,956

132.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.72

$1.30 Ft 422

206.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.84

$2.08 Ft 677

95.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.54

$1.50 Ft 490

110.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$27.61 Ft 8,991

443.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.96

$3.30 Ft 1,075

4.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.30 Ft 424

25.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.4

$19.78 Ft 6,442

102.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.81 Ft 591

-22.65%

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

$28.4K A$40.8K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-3.09%

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

$29.4K A$42.2K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-13.79%

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

$220 A$316

$170 Ft 55.3K

29.39%

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

$27.70 A$39.79

$23.98 Ft 7,809

15.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.8

$23.42 Ft 7,628

137.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$107

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

12.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.41

$19.18 Ft 6,245

24.87%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.46

$9.52 Ft 3,101

86.24%

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

$2,157 A$3,098

$537 Ft 174.8K

301.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.6K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

70.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$101 Ft 33.0K

-22.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

64.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$113 Ft 36.7K

-1.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$119 Ft 38.7K

10.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,612

$805 Ft 262.2K

212.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,487

$629 Ft 204.9K

175.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$7,022

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

215.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,365

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

160.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$19.0K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

135.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.7K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

104.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,864

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

151.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

6.43

-9.18%

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

Last update for Sydney: 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

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 63.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 32.3% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 28.3% $86

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 25.1% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 4.1% $7.3

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 75.1% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 22.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,514 in Sydney 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 151% higher in Sydney, 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 $97.0 in Sydney versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

08:17 8:17 AM

9 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Budapest 15,780 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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

Sydney vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,774 per month in Sydney 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 443% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,157 per month in Sydney 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 Sydney at $3,182. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney 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, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.