Hungary
Budapest trip: full budget breakdown
Plan €1313 for 7 nights in Budapest, return flight from London included, or €427 travelling cheap. On the ground that works out at €184 per person per day in comfort, €58 travelling cheap.
- From
- €58/day
- vs. London
- 83%
- Best month
- Jul
Your trip to Budapest
Set the length, the number of travellers and the comfort level: the figures recompute here.
€1,313
per person, flight included
- on the ground
- €1,288
- flight from London
- €25
- per person per day, on the ground
- €184
In short, where the money goes
- The heaviest line
- Accommodation42 % of the trip
- The strongest lever
- Accommodation€427 less travelling cheap
- Seven nights on the ground
- €1288excluding flights
Accommodation
€546
Food
€420
Transport
€126
Activities
€98
Extras
€98
Over seven nights, accommodation accounts for 42 % of what you spend. The line where travelling cheap changes the bill most is accommodation, a €427 gap. The others are worth discussing, that one decides.
Basis: 469 hotel addresses surveyed for a 15 October 2026 arrival, 7 of twelve months of airfares, surveyed on 23 September 2026. The total excludes flights, insurance, personal shopping and any lodging split between several people.
InstantTripCost estimate
Full 7-night budget breakdown
Per-person estimate including flights from London, split across the six expense categories.
per person · Comfort
| Category | Budget | Comfort | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights | €21 | €25 | €38 |
| Hotel | €119 | €546 | €756 |
| Food | €189 | €420 | €966 |
| Transport | €56 | €126 | €315 |
| Activities | €21 | €98 | €378 |
| Misc | €21 | €98 | €287 |
| 7-night total | €427 | €1313 | €2740 |
Flight from London (annual median).
Unit prices
comfort
Enough to check the total yourself, line by line, at the comfort level you picked.
- €9
- Breakfast
- €17
- Lunch
- €34
- Dinner
- €6
- City ride
- €14
- Site admission
- €184
- A full day
Orders of magnitude derived from our measured ranges, not surveyed venue by venue. Prices vary by neighbourhood and season.
The three tiers
What a budget traveller, a comfort traveller and a premium traveller typically spend.
Budget
€58
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €17
- Food / day
- €27
- Transit / day
- €8
- Sights / day
- €3
- Extras / day
- €3
Comfort
€184
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €78
- Food / day
- €60
- Transit / day
- €18
- Sights / day
- €14
- Extras / day
- €14
Luxury
€386
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €108
- Food / day
- €138
- Transit / day
- €45
- Sights / day
- €54
- Extras / day
- €41
When to go, and what the month changes
Average temperatures and conditions by month in Budapest.
Mildest monthJuly
The hotels we measured in Budapest
The area changes the price of a night by more than half at equal comfort. See the median price by area in Budapest
The hotels we measured
Accommodation picks by price range.
Hotel Oswaldo
Hotel, rated excellent (9.7/10) from 131 reviews.
East-West Budapest Boutique Hotel
Hotel, rated excellent (9.6/10) from 587 reviews.
Mustache Hostel
Hostel, rated excellent (9.5/10) from 1,254 reviews.
East-West Budapest Boutique Hotel
Hotel, rated excellent (9.6/10) from 587 reviews.
Dear Hungary apartments
Hotel, rated excellent (9.4/10) from 177 reviews.
Budapest Holidays Storia
guesthouse, rated excellent (9.4/10) from 136 reviews.
Arpad Bridge Apartments
Hotel, rated excellent (9.7/10) from 264 reviews.
Grand Budapest Apartments
Hotel, rated excellent (9.7/10) from 482 reviews.
Grand Budapest Penthouse
Hotel, rated excellent (9.7/10) from 1,144 reviews.
All observed hotels in Budapest
36 of 536 surveyed properties shown, the cheapest in each tier. Nightly rate for a 2-night stay arriving 15 October 2026.
| Hotel | Category | Rating | From / night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operahouse Rooms | Budget | ★ 5.3 | €9 |
| Flow Spaces | Budget | ★ 8.4 | €11 |
| Equity Point Budapest | Budget | ★ 7.3 | €11 |
| Vintage Heaven Oasis Hostel | Budget | ★ 5.6 | €11 |
| Equity Point Budapest | Mid-range | ★ 7.3 | €11 |
| Baroque Hostel & Coworking | Budget | ★ 7.8 | €12 |
| Locomotive Hostel | Budget | ★ 7 | €13 |
| Avenue Hostel | Budget | ★ 8.6 | €13 |
| Center Hostel Budapest | Budget | ★ 8 | €14 |
| United Apartment Budapest | Budget | ★ 5.6 | €14 |
| AMISTAT Hub Hostel Budapest | Budget | ★ 8.4 | €14 |
| Maverick Athenaeum | Budget | ★ 9 | €15 |
| Budapest Party Hostel at Udvarom | Budget | ★ 6.6 | €15 |
| L1 City Centre Loft | Mid-range | ★ 5.9 | €26 |
| Emerald Apartment Budapest | Mid-range | ★ 6.7 | €27 |
| Classic Hotel | Mid-range | ★ 6.3 | €30 |
| Cozy Central Retreat | Mid-range | ★ 6 | €35 |
| Capital Guesthouse Budapest | Mid-range | ★ 7.4 | €48 |
| Gul Baba Saray Apartments | Mid-range | ★ 7.7 | €50 |
| Airport16 bed and breakfast | Mid-range | ★ 7.8 | €50 |
| Franci apartman | Mid-range | ★ 9 | €50 |
| Klauzal19 Rooms | Mid-range | ★ 6.5 | €50 |
| SparrOwl Apartments | Mid-range | ★ 7.1 | €51 |
| Hotel Bobbio | Mid-range | ★ 8.1 | €51 |
| Tang house 唐舍 | Luxury | ★ 8.9 | €53 |
| Centerpoint Digital Pansion Heritage Collection | Luxury | ★ 8.5 | €61 |
| Klebelsberg Kastély Budapest | Luxury | ★ 8.8 | €69 |
| Buda Studio Apartments | Luxury | ★ 8.7 | €71 |
| VP12 Apartments | Luxury | ★ 8.7 | €72 |
| Berkocsis | Luxury | ★ 8.6 | €73 |
| WaterFront City Apartments by FirstHost | Luxury | ★ 8.8 | €75 |
| New York Palace Flats | Luxury | ★ 8.5 | €75 |
| SmartApart Óbuda | Luxury | ★ 9.4 | €76 |
| Di Verdi Imperial Hotel | Luxury | ★ 8.4 | €77 |
| Váralja Home | Luxury | ★ 9.1 | €78 |
| Palms Apartments Budapest | Luxury | ★ 9.1 | €83 |
What food costs in Budapest
Concrete benchmarks to set your meal budget, from the morning coffee to dinner.
Eating in Budapest works at three clearly separated levels. The everyday meal, in a canteen or at a market hall stall, runs around nine euros: this is the register of lángos, goulash and the dish of the day chalked on a board. A mid-range restaurant sits near twenty euros a head without drinks, and it covers most of what the centre offers. An ambitious table starts around forty-five euros.
Two local habits cut the bill without sacrificing anything. The lunch menu, the napi menü, often gives two or three courses for the price of one evening dish, and it is served in places with nothing touristy about them. And the great market hall in the ninth district, at the end of Váci street, serves generous canteen-priced portions upstairs.
A tip is not included but it is expected, around ten per cent. Check the bill: some places in the centre already add a service charge, in which case it is not doubled.
What getting around costs in Budapest
Transit, distances and the smart moves so you don't pay the tourist tax.
Central Budapest is walkable, but the Danube and the Buda hill soon make public transport necessary. The network combines four metro lines, trams and buses under a single ticket, and a single fare costs under two euros.
The arithmetic is simple: from three journeys a day the daily pass wins, and the 72-hour pass wins from the second day of a short stay. Tram 2, which runs along the Danube on the Pest side, is covered by an ordinary ticket and gives the view the river boats sell for far more.
From Ferihegy airport, bus 100E reaches the centre in about forty minutes for a few euros, on a specific ticket that the passes do not cover. A taxi costs several times that. Expect around €58 a day on the ground on a budget footing, transport included.
What sightseeing costs in Budapest
Recommended activities and tours.
Buda Castle
Buda Castle (Hungarian: Budavári Palota, German: Burgpalast), formerly also called the Royal Palace (Hungarian: Királyi-palota) and the Royal Castle (Hungarian: Királyi Vár, German: Königliche Burg), is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest. First completed in 1265, the Baroque palace that occupies most of the site today was built between 1749 and 1769, severely damaged during the Siege of Budapest in World War II, and rebuilt in a simplified Baroque style during the state communist era.
Tourist attraction
Heroes' Square
Hősök tere (Hungarian: [ˈhøːʃøk ˈtɛrɛ]; lit. 'Heroes' Square') is one of the major squares in Budapest, Hungary, noted for its iconic Millennium Monument with statues featuring the Seven chieftains of the Magyars and other important Hungarian national leaders, as well as the Memorial Stone of Heroes, often erroneously referred as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The square lies at the outbound end of Andrássy Avenue next to City Park (Városliget).
Square
Aquincum
Aquincum (Latin: [aˈkᶣɪŋkũː], Hungarian: [ˈɒkviŋkum]) was an ancient city, situated on the northeastern borders of the province of Pannonia within the Roman Empire. The ruins of the city can be found in the Óbuda district of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary.
Archaeological site
Fisherman's Bastion
The Halászbástya (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈhɒlaːzbaːʃcɒ]) or Fisherman's Bastion is one of the best known historical monuments in Budapest, located near the Buda Castle, in the Várkerület (Buda Castle District). Since 1987, it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Várkerület District (Buda Castle District).
Tourist attraction
Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest
The Museum of Fine Arts (Hungarian: Szépművészeti Múzeum, pronounced [ˈseːpmyveːsɛti ˈmuːzɛum]) is a museum in Heroes' Square, Budapest, Hungary, facing the Hall of Art. It was built by the plans of Albert Schickedanz and Fülöp Herzog in an eclectic-neoclassical style , between 1900 and 1906.
Art museum
Hungarian National Museum
The Hungarian National Museum (Hungarian: Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum, pronounced [ˈmɒɟɒr ˈnɛmzɛti ˈmuːzɛum]) was founded in 1802 and is the national museum for the history, art, and archaeology of Hungary, including areas not within Hungary's modern borders, such as Transylvania; it is separate to the collection of international art in the Hungarian National Gallery. The museum is in Budapest VIII in a Neoclassical building, purpose-built during 1837 - 47 by the architect Mihály Pollack.
National museum
House of Terror Museum
The House of Terror (Hungarian: Terror Háza Múzeum, pronounced [ˈtɛrːor ˈhaːzɒ ˈmuːzɛum]) is a museum located at Andrássy Avenue 60 in Budapest, Hungary. It contains exhibits related to the fascist and communist regimes in 20th-century Hungary and is also a memorial to the victims of these regimes, including those detained, interrogated, tortured, or killed in the building.
Museum
Vajdahunyad Castle
Vajdahunyad Castle (Hungarian: Vajdahunyad vára) is a castle in the City Park of Budapest, Hungary.
Castle
Memento Park
Memento Park (Hungarian: Szoborpark) is an open-air museum in Budapest, Hungary, dedicated to monumental statues and sculpted plaques from Hungary's Communist period (1949 - 1989). There are statues of Lenin, Marx, and Engels, as well as several Hungarian Communist leaders.
Notable place
Vörösmarty tér
Vörösmarty tér (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈvørøʃmɒrti ˈteːr]) or Vörösmarty square is a public square in the Budapest city centre at the northern end of Váci utca. At the centre of the square facing west is a statue by Eduard Telcs and Ede Kallós of poet Mihály Vörösmarty.
Square
Places referenced on Wikidata. Admission prices vary by season - check each venue's official site.
Paying less in Budapest
What moves the needle
What each decision takes off the €1333 total, strongest lever first.
- − €882
Travel cheap rather than mid-range
Hostel or entry-level hotel, local canteens, public transport. Accommodation is where the gap opens up.
- − €368
Stay five nights instead of seven
Two fewer nights also removes two days of meals, transport and sightseeing.
- − €273
Travel as a pair
The room is shared, nothing else is. Travellers themselves name this as the strongest lever.
Differences computed from our own measurements, for a 7-night mid-range stay, excluding flights.
7 tips on the ground
- Shift the date rather than the comfort: our survey gives €21 in the cheapest month against €41 in the dearest, a fare that varies by almost three times.
- September holds 17 °C on average against 22 °C in July, for a fraction of the airfare. Five degrees cooler buys most of the saving.
- The district matters more than the tier: at equal comfort, the median night runs from €69 to €95 depending on the area surveyed.
- Dorm beds show up in numbers in one district only. If that is your tier, the choice of area is already made.
- Take the transport pass from three journeys a day, and tram 2 along the Danube rather than a river cruise.
- Have lunch on the napi menü, which often gives two or three courses for the price of one evening dish.
- Bus 100E from the airport costs a few euros where a taxi costs several times more, but it needs its own ticket.
FAQ
FAQ - Budapest
- What budget should I plan for a week in Budapest?
- Expect €1,288 for seven nights mid-range, excluding the flight, and €406 on a budget footing. The ticket comes on top, and it runs from €21 to €41 depending on the month.
- Which is the cheapest month to fly to Budapest?
- Across the twelve months surveyed the lowest fare is €21 and the highest €41. The dearest month is also the warmest, and September holds 17 °C on average for a fraction of the price.
- How much does a hotel night cost in Budapest?
- €17 at entry level, €78 mid-range and €108 upmarket. At equal comfort the median moves from €69 to €95 depending on the district.
- Which district should I stay in in Budapest?
- Six areas are surveyed, each with its median price and aggregated rating. The Jewish quarter is the only one carrying a dorm median, Józsefváros is the cheapest for a room, Belváros the best rated and the priciest at the top end.
- Is Budapest an expensive destination?
- Its cost index stands at 83 %, which puts it among the most affordable European capitals we survey. The variable weighing most on the final bill is the month of departure, through the price of the ticket.
- How much does a meal cost in Budapest?
- Around nine euros in a canteen or at the market hall, about twenty euros a head at a mid-range restaurant without drinks, and from forty-five euros at an ambitious table. The lunch menu often halves the evening bill.
- Should I buy a transport pass in Budapest?
- From three journeys a day, yes. A single fare costs under two euros, and the 72-hour pass pays off from the second day of a short stay.
- How do I reach the centre from the airport?
- Bus 100E takes about forty minutes for a few euros, on a specific ticket the passes do not cover. A taxi costs several times that for a comparable journey time.
At a glance
Wikidata, Wikipedia and Open-Meteo data
- Population
- 1.7M
- Area
- 525 km²
- Elevation
- 117 m
- Language
- Hungarian
- Currency
- Ft
- Time zone
- UTC+01:00
- Founded
- 1873
- Avg. July temp.
- 22°
- Avg. Jan. temp.
- 0°
- Rainy days / year
- 108
inhabitants
Forint
17° - 27°
-3° - 3°
About
Budapest in brief
Budapest is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is Hungary's primate city with 1.7 million inhabitants and its greater metro area has a population of about 3.3 million, representing one-third of the country's population and producing above 40% of the country's economic output. Budapest is the political, economic, and cultural center of the country, among the ten largest cities in the European Union and the second largest urban area in Central and Eastern Europe.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Keep exploring
Similar budget
Destinations at a similar price
Cost index close to Budapest.