Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-hawiyah and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-hawiyah: $1,081 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Al-hawiyah
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Al-hawiyah Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Al-hawiyah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,081

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,081 in Al-hawiyah versus $1,619 in Budapest.

Al-hawiyah $1,081
Budapest $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,603 in Al-hawiyah versus $2,524 in Budapest.

Al-hawiyah $1,603
Budapest $2,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,125 in Al-hawiyah versus $3,429 in Budapest.

Al-hawiyah $2,125
Budapest $3,429

Living in Al-hawiyah costs roughly 33% less than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al-hawiyah is 20% below, Budapest is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.44 SAR 16.67

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-68.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.52 SAR 99.5

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-56.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 SAR 25.93

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-32.19%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.91

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 SAR 5.64

Cappuccino

$2.63 SAR 9.88

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-19.33%

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

$0.70 SAR 2.63

$2.14 Ft 690

-67.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.94

$1.78 Ft 577

-85.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$1.15 Ft 371

59.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 SAR 3.60

$1.79 Ft 578

-46.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 SAR 8.25

$2.49 Ft 804

-11.65%

Eggs

$2.68 SAR 10.04

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-31.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.85 SAR 21.94

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-47.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 SAR 43.90

$6.62 Ft 2,139

76.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.12 SAR 49.22

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-10.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 SAR 7.64

$1.83 Ft 591

11.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

$2.05 Ft 661

-22.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 SAR 6.88

$2.37 Ft 765

-22.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 SAR 5.60

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-61.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 SAR 4.87

$0.99 Ft 320

31.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.63

$1.00 Ft 322

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 SAR 4.09

$1.58 Ft 511

-31.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 SAR 2.77

$0.67 Ft 216

10.45%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.99 SAR 11.21

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 SAR 7.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.00 SAR 30.02

$7.96 Ft 2,572

0.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 SAR 4.13

$1.52 Ft 490

-27.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.82 SAR 138

$28.02 Ft 9,053

31.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 SAR 9.15

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-26.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 SAR 10.10

$1.37 Ft 442

96.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.24 SAR 49.67

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-33.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 SAR 2.23

$1.82 Ft 589

-67.58%

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

$43.9K SAR 164.7K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

47.25%

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

$21.5K SAR 80.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-36.30%

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

$67.1 SAR 252

$171 Ft 55.3K

-60.79%

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

$35.32 SAR 133

$23.51 Ft 7,596

50.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.5 SAR 235

$23.29 Ft 7,526

168.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.6 SAR 302

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

19.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 SAR 56.6

$9.30 Ft 3,004

62.26%

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

$423 SAR 1,586

$533 Ft 172.3K

-20.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,864 SAR 29.5K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-53.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.09 SAR 49.11

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-86.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 SAR 209

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

28.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$40.45 SAR 152

$110 Ft 35.7K

-63.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.5 SAR 197

$119 Ft 38.4K

-55.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 SAR 2,162

$830 Ft 268.3K

-30.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 SAR 1,375

$622 Ft 200.9K

-41.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 SAR 3,098

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-48.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$577 SAR 2,166

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-50.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,404 SAR 9,023

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-58.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,375 SAR 5,158

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-64.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

6.45

-18.60%

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

Last update for Al-hawiyah: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al-hawiyah

$366 33.9%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 69.7% $256

Groceries & Markets

Al-hawiyah

$217 20.1%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 18.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-hawiyah

$165 15.3%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 32.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Al-hawiyah

$111 10.2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 22.2% $25

Eating Out

Al-hawiyah

$92 8.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 143% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Al-hawiyah

$73 6.7%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 130% $95

Getting Around

Al-hawiyah

$57 5.3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 22.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $576 in Al-hawiyah and $830 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27.00 in Al-hawiyah vs $61.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $258 per month, with Al-hawiyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al-hawiyah

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

02:51 2:51 AM

1 h behind Al-hawiyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,151

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Al-hawiyah Budapest 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Al-hawiyah
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

Al-hawiyah vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-hawiyah and Budapest differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($1,081 vs $1,619 including rent). Al-hawiyah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,621 in Al-hawiyah and $2,428 in Budapest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $576 in Al-hawiyah versus $830 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-hawiyah – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $61.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,081 per month in Al-hawiyah versus $1,619 in Budapest – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,081 in Al-hawiyah versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Al-hawiyah but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Al-hawiyah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Al-hawiyah and Budapest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Al-hawiyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.