Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterford and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,687 in Waterford, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Waterford
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Waterford Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Waterford

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,687

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,687 per month in Waterford vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Waterford $2,687
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Waterford vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Waterford $3,901
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $5,115 per month in Waterford vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Waterford $5,115
Budapest $3,429

Waterford costs about 66% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Waterford and Budapest sit above the global median – Waterford by 99%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.19 €19.74

$13.94 Ft 4,503

59.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.1 €81.0

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

48.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 €10.70

$10.19 Ft 3,291

18.06%

Cappuccino

$4.15 €3.69

$3.26 Ft 1,055

27.30%

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

$3.04 €2.70

$2.14 Ft 690

42.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.78 Ft 577

15.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.32 €6.51

$3.71 Ft 1,198

97.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 €5.33

$3.77 Ft 1,217

59.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.15 Ft 371

24.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.07

$1.79 Ft 578

30.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.49 Ft 804

-8.84%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.89

$3.90 Ft 1,261

12.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.70 €13.96

$11.10 Ft 3,587

41.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.97 €9.76

$6.62 Ft 2,139

65.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.36 €11.89

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-9.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$1.83 Ft 591

60.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.05 Ft 661

6.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 €2.73

$2.37 Ft 765

29.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.01 €3.56

$3.90 Ft 1,260

2.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 €1.31

$0.99 Ft 320

49.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.00 Ft 322

51.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.58 Ft 511

-20.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.67 Ft 216

179.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.37 €16.34

$7.96 Ft 2,572

130.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.06 €12.50

$6.22 Ft 2,009

126.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 €2.74

$1.27 Ft 411

142.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.03 Ft 654

53.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.53

$1.52 Ft 490

86.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 €55.5

$28.02 Ft 9,053

122.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 €4.51

$3.31 Ft 1,070

53.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.37 Ft 442

3.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$54.9 €48.81

$19.83 Ft 6,406

176.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.82 Ft 589

10.99%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

29.05%

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

$37.2K €33.1K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

10.06%

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

$243 €217

$171 Ft 55.3K

42.28%

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

$21.08 €18.75

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-10.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.89 €44.37

$23.29 Ft 7,526

114.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.49 €44.02

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-26.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.17 €12.60

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-24.99%

Cinema Ticket

$16.96 €15.08

$9.30 Ft 3,004

82.37%

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

$985 €876

$533 Ft 172.3K

84.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.1 €70.4

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-20.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.30 €42.96

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

11.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.1

$110 Ft 35.7K

-1.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$119 Ft 38.4K

-5.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,509

$830 Ft 268.3K

104.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 €1,212

$622 Ft 200.9K

119.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,555 €2,272

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

60.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 €1,907

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

83.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,136 €2,789

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-46.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,573 €2,288

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-33.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,161 €2,812

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

91.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

6.45

-35.81%

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

Last update for Waterford: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waterford

$1.4K 50.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 54.4% $741

Groceries & Markets

Waterford

$351 13.1%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 26.5% $93

Eating Out

Waterford

$332 12.4%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 32.9% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waterford

$314 11.7%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 30.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Waterford

$157 5.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 6.7% $11

Getting Around

Waterford

$86 3.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 48.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Waterford

$83 3.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 3.2% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,697 in Waterford versus $830 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 91% higher in Waterford, 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 $91.0 in Waterford versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Waterford

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

13:29 1:29 PM

1 h ahead of Waterford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,300

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Waterford Budapest 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Waterford
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

Waterford vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Waterford is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,031 per month in Waterford and $2,428 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 123% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $985 per month in Waterford and $533 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 $1,619, than in Waterford at $2,687. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waterford 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, Waterford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.