Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Hungary

Name: Hungary
Address: HU

For one person, living is cheaper in Hungary: $1,361 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Hungary
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Hungary Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Hungary

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United Kingdom and in Hungary actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,361 in Hungary, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,462
Hungary $1,361

A couple spends around $3,600 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,095 in Hungary, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,600
Hungary $2,095

A family of three spends $4,738 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,830 in Hungary, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,738
Hungary $2,830

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Hungary ($1,015–$1,638), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 81% higher than in Hungary on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.05

$12.28 Ft 4,020

74.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.1

$53.8 Ft 17.6K

59.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.93

$9.31 Ft 3,048

13.96%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.67

$2.57 Ft 842

91.05%

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

$2.66 £1.99

$1.76 Ft 577

51.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$1.38 Ft 450

35.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.95

$2.73 Ft 893

142.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.11

$2.67 Ft 874

156.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.21 Ft 395

38.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.56 Ft 511

10.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$2.29 Ft 749

-5.24%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$3.50 Ft 1,144

14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.04

$10.50 Ft 3,436

-10.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.86

$6.44 Ft 2,109

42.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.03

$14.32 Ft 4,688

3.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.22

$2.01 Ft 658

47.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.12 Ft 693

-23.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$2.13 Ft 697

33.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$3.36 Ft 1,101

4.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.04 Ft 342

75.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.18 Ft 388

36.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$1.50 Ft 490

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$0.59 Ft 192

181.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.67

$7.74 Ft 2,535

205.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.84

$5.11 Ft 1,671

105.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

$1.20 Ft 392

148.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$1.93 Ft 631

81.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$1.39 Ft 455

186.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.3

$26.94 Ft 8,820

298.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.87

$3.42 Ft 1,119

51.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$1.39 Ft 454

69.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.05

$18.45 Ft 6,039

45.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.89 Ft 619

5.29%

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

$39.4K £29.5K

$27.7K Ft 9.1M

42.61%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$34.3K Ft 11.2M

17.91%

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

$327 £244

$160 Ft 52.3K

104.82%

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

$18.21 £13.60

$25.56 Ft 8,369

-28.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.57

$22.47 Ft 7,356

94.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.64

$53.1 Ft 17.4K

-20.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.61

$16.16 Ft 5,289

12.75%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.34

$8.74 Ft 2,860

58.47%

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

$1,868 £1,396

$399 Ft 130.5K

368.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$11.0K Ft 3.6M

106.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.4

$87.0 Ft 28.5K

6.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.30

$35.59 Ft 11.7K

29.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.9

$93.8 Ft 30.7K

8.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.4

$97.2 Ft 31.8K

5.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,003

$598 Ft 195.7K

124.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £802

$466 Ft 152.5K

130.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,667

$1,040 Ft 340.4K

114.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,301

$809 Ft 264.8K

115.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,185

$3,668 Ft 1.2M

52.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,186

$2,683 Ft 878.5K

58.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,502

$1,290 Ft 422.2K

159.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

7.15

-25.59%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hungary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Hungary

$466 34.2% 56.6% $607

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Hungary

$208 15.3% 46.6% $181

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Hungary

$189 13.9% 42.4% $139

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Hungary

$244 17.9% 20.6% $63

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Hungary

$141 10.4% 8.5% $13

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Hungary

$43 3.2% 69.4% $97

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Hungary

$71 5.2% 0.7% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,287 in the United Kingdom vs $511 in Hungary. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,811 in London and $836 in Budapest.

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom vs $1,184 in Hungary. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 152% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 60% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 288% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 2.7 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇭🇺 Hungary

🕒 Local time

05:35 5:35 AM

06:35 6:35 AM

1 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

9,599,744

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.05 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Hungary 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Hungary

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

United Kingdom vs Hungary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hungary is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 45% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $511 in Hungary.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Hungary – part of why living there is about 45% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Hungary, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Hungary is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.