Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-qardahah and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-qardahah: $638 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

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

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Al-qardahah

🇸🇾 Syria

$638

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $638 per month in Al-qardahah vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Al-qardahah $638
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,011 per month in Al-qardahah vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Al-qardahah $1,011
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,383 per month in Al-qardahah vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Al-qardahah $1,383
Budapest $3,429

Al-qardahah is about 61% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Al-qardahah sits 53% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.83 SYP 1,194

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-29.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.10 SYP 5,117

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-31.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.03 SYP 855

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-31.01%

Cappuccino

$3.67 SYP 446

$3.26 Ft 1,055

12.58%

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

$2.27 SYP 276

$2.14 Ft 690

6.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 SYP 105

$1.78 Ft 577

-51.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 SYP 249

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-44.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 SYP 484

$3.77 Ft 1,217

5.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 SYP 133

$1.15 Ft 371

-4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 SYP 50.5

$1.79 Ft 578

-76.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 SYP 192

$2.49 Ft 804

-36.55%

Eggs

$1.60 SYP 195

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-58.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.89 SYP 472

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-64.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.56 SYP 676

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-16.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.73 SYP 1,668

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-6.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.02 SYP 124

$1.83 Ft 591

-44.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 SYP 171

$2.05 Ft 661

-31.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 SYP 139

$2.37 Ft 765

-51.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 SYP 125

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-73.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 SYP 91.9

$0.99 Ft 320

-23.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 SYP 92.1

$1.00 Ft 322

-24.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 SYP 53.5

$1.58 Ft 511

-72.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SYP 75.9

$0.67 Ft 216

-7.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 SYP 346

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-64.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.81 SYP 706

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-6.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 SYP 128

$1.27 Ft 411

-17.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 SYP 355

$2.03 Ft 654

43.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 SYP 120

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-70.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 SYP 190

$1.37 Ft 442

14.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 SYP 911

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-62.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.72 SYP 452

$1.82 Ft 589

104.40%

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

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-49.41%

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

$19.0K SYP 2.3M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-43.84%

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

$137 SYP 16.7K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-19.79%

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

$9.89 SYP 1,202

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-57.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.78 SYP 5,564

$23.29 Ft 7,526

96.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 SYP 683

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-39.57%

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

$66.2 SYP 8,040

$533 Ft 172.3K

-87.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,781 SYP 216.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-89.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.05 SYP 3,531

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-70.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.40 SYP 4,788

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-9.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 SYP 7,164

$110 Ft 35.7K

-46.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.9 SYP 7,030

$119 Ft 38.4K

-51.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.25

6.45

120.93%

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

Last update for Al-qardahah: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-qardahah

$193 30.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 13% $25

Eating Out

Al-qardahah

$175 27.3%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 27.8% $48

Groceries & Markets

Al-qardahah

$168 26.3%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 53.9% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Al-qardahah

$83 13.1%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 101% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Al-qardahah

$11 * 1.8%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 666% $75

Getting Around

Al-qardahah

$8.8 * 1.4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 402% $35

Accommodation & Living

Al-qardahah

- * 0%

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Al-qardahah versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $168 vs $258 – making Al-qardahah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Al-qardahah

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

21:55 9:55 PM

1 h behind Al-qardahah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇾 Syrian Pound (£)

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

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 SYP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Al-qardahah Budapest 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 154%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $958 per month in Al-qardahah and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Al-qardahah and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al-qardahah, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Al-qardahah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-qardahah – 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 Al-qardahah. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.