Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,530 per month in Toronto vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Toronto $2,530
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,646 per month in Toronto vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Toronto $3,646
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,761 per month in Toronto vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Toronto $4,761
Budapest $3,489

Toronto costs about 56% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Toronto and Budapest sit above the global median – Toronto by 89%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 CA$25.13

$13.99 Ft 4,555

26.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 CA$110

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

28.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.90

$9.96 Ft 3,244

5.12%

Cappuccino

$4.08 CA$5.80

$3.38 Ft 1,102

20.71%

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

$2.12 CA$3.01

$2.13 Ft 693

-0.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.50

$1.87 Ft 609

-5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 CA$8.78

$3.75 Ft 1,222

64.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.80

$3.57 Ft 1,163

93.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.13 Ft 369

115.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.91

$1.84 Ft 600

49.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.17

$2.39 Ft 777

-6.69%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.90

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-9.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 CA$12.71

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-21.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.27

$6.74 Ft 2,194

69.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 CA$20.78

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-0.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.33

$1.84 Ft 598

103.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$2.01 Ft 654

-42.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.05

$2.36 Ft 767

50.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 CA$6.09

$3.77 Ft 1,227

13.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.62

$0.96 Ft 314

92.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.37

$1.03 Ft 335

62.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$1.56 Ft 509

42.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$0.66 Ft 216

83.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 CA$19.74

$7.96 Ft 2,594

74.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$20.27

$6.01 Ft 1,956

137.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.12

$1.30 Ft 422

69.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$2.08 Ft 677

16.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$1.50 Ft 490

61.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

$27.61 Ft 8,991

301.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.12

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-12.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$1.30 Ft 424

-3.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 CA$31.33

$19.78 Ft 6,442

11.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.74

$1.81 Ft 591

-32.60%

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

$27.6K CA$39.3K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-5.78%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-41.89%

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

$122 CA$173

$170 Ft 55.3K

-28.28%

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

$32.03 CA$45.56

$23.98 Ft 7,809

33.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$68.2

$23.42 Ft 7,628

104.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.90 CA$55.3

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-41.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 CA$33.05

$19.18 Ft 6,245

21.17%

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.94

$9.52 Ft 3,101

32.46%

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

$834 CA$1,186

$537 Ft 174.8K

55.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$33.2K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

40.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$74.8

$101 Ft 33.0K

-48.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.26 CA$57.3

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-6.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 CA$137

$113 Ft 36.7K

-14.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 CA$175

$119 Ft 38.7K

3.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 CA$2,273

$805 Ft 262.2K

98.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 CA$2,041

$629 Ft 204.9K

128.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,657 CA$3,779

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

71.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 CA$2,981

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

79.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,033 CA$11.4K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

42.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,557 CA$9,327

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

65.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,743 CA$5,324

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

130.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

6.43

-30.48%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 56.1% $806

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 24.3% $83

Eating Out

Toronto

$282 10.9%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 20.4% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$202 7.8%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 7.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$140 5.4%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 20.5% $29

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 66.5% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$64 2.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 33% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,598 in Toronto 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 130% higher in Toronto, 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 $77.0 in Toronto versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

07:04 7:04 AM

6 h ahead of Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 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 CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Toronto Budapest 7,120 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
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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

Toronto vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Toronto is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,795 per month in Toronto 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 301% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $834 per month in Toronto 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 Toronto at $2,530. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto 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, Toronto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.