Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Victoria and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,574 in Victoria, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Victoria
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Victoria Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Victoria

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,574

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,574 per month in Victoria vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Victoria $2,574
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,856 per month in Victoria vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Victoria $3,856
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,138 per month in Victoria vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Victoria $5,138
Budapest $3,489

Victoria costs about 59% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Victoria and Budapest sit above the global median – Victoria by 92%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$27.06

$13.99 Ft 4,551

35.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.0 CA$99.7

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

15.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 CA$15.46

$9.96 Ft 3,241

8.84%

Cappuccino

$4.21 CA$6.00

$3.38 Ft 1,100

24.56%

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

$2.21 CA$3.15

$2.13 Ft 692

3.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.57

$1.87 Ft 608

-3.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 CA$8.11

$3.75 Ft 1,221

51.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CA$9.23

$3.57 Ft 1,162

81.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.65 CA$3.78

$1.13 Ft 368

134.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$1.84 Ft 599

57.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.65

$2.39 Ft 777

65.69%

Eggs

$4.04 CA$5.76

$3.83 Ft 1,245

5.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.77 CA$38.16

$11.33 Ft 3,686

136.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.55 CA$17.89

$6.74 Ft 2,192

86.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.51 CA$20.68

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-1.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 CA$5.69

$1.84 Ft 597

116.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.04

$2.01 Ft 653

-28.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 CA$5.45

$2.36 Ft 767

61.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 CA$5.89

$3.77 Ft 1,226

9.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 CA$5.04

$0.96 Ft 313

268.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.18

$1.03 Ft 334

184.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.18 CA$4.53

$1.56 Ft 509

103.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.63

$0.66 Ft 216

286.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.02 CA$21.41

$7.96 Ft 2,591

88.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.86 CA$25.46

$6.01 Ft 1,954

197.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 CA$5.70

$1.30 Ft 421

207.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 CA$4.89

$2.08 Ft 676

64.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 CA$2.90

$1.50 Ft 489

36.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$27.61 Ft 8,982

111.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 CA$3.81

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-19.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$1.30 Ft 424

16.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.48 CA$47.72

$19.78 Ft 6,436

69.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 CA$1.93

$1.81 Ft 591

-25.41%

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

$27.7K CA$39.5K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-5.39%

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

$18.5K CA$26.3K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-45.89%

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

$105 CA$150

$170 Ft 55.3K

-37.93%

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

$44.49 CA$63.4

$23.98 Ft 7,802

85.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.5 CA$87.6

$23.42 Ft 7,621

162.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.45 CA$60.5

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-35.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.27 CA$24.62

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-9.96%

Cinema Ticket

$10.68 CA$15.22

$9.52 Ft 3,098

12.18%

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

$878 CA$1,251

$537 Ft 174.6K

63.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K CA$33.1K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

39.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 CA$75.8

$101 Ft 33.0K

-47.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 CA$63.0

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

2.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$128

$113 Ft 36.7K

-20.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$119 Ft 38.6K

-8.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 CA$2,170

$805 Ft 262.0K

89.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 CA$1,890

$629 Ft 204.7K

110.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,683 CA$3,825

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

73.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,261 CA$3,222

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

93.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 CA$7,651

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-4.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 CA$6,370

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

12.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,202 CA$4,564

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

96.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.31

6.43

-32.97%

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

Last update for Victoria: 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

Victoria

$1.3K 51.7%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 52.5% $697

Groceries & Markets

Victoria

$461 18%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 44.1% $203

Eating Out

Victoria

$292 11.4%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 23.3% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Victoria

$211 8.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 2.8% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

Victoria

$133 5.2%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 26.9% $36

Getting Around

Victoria

$77 3%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 43.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Victoria

$64 2.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 33.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,522 in Victoria 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 97% higher in Victoria, 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 $70.0 in Victoria versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $461 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Victoria

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

09:15 9:15 AM

9 h ahead of Victoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,792

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Victoria Budapest 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Victoria
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

Victoria vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,862 per month in Victoria 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 112% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $878 per month in Victoria 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 Victoria at $2,574. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Victoria 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, Victoria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.