Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $457 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Alexandria

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $457 per month in Alexandria vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Alexandria $457
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $766 per month in Alexandria vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Alexandria $766
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,074 per month in Alexandria vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Alexandria $1,074
Budapest $3,489

Alexandria is about 72% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Alexandria sits 66% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.22 E£221

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-69.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.34 E£1,012

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-67.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 E£256

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-50.90%

Cappuccino

$1.32 E£69.2

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-60.95%

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

$0.33 E£17.52

$2.13 Ft 692

-84.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 E£5.74

$1.87 Ft 608

-94.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 E£68.9

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-64.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 E£151

$3.57 Ft 1,162

-19.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 E£46.56

$1.13 Ft 368

-21.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 E£35.57

$1.84 Ft 599

-63.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 E£31.60

$2.39 Ft 777

-74.90%

Eggs

$1.18 E£61.8

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-69.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.91 E£205

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-65.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 E£231

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-34.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.14 E£478

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-37.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.56 E£81.5

$1.84 Ft 597

-15.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 E£41.85

$2.01 Ft 653

-60.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.53 E£27.47

$2.36 Ft 767

-77.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.36 E£18.63

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-90.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 E£13.63

$0.96 Ft 313

-72.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.32 E£16.88

$1.03 Ft 334

-68.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 E£13.04

$1.56 Ft 509

-83.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.17

$0.66 Ft 216

-68.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.93 E£101

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-75.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 E£294

$6.01 Ft 1,954

-6.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 E£63.2

$1.30 Ft 421

-6.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 E£118

$2.08 Ft 676

8.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 E£9.89

$1.50 Ft 489

-87.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.58 E£606

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-58.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.55 E£29.02

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-83.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 E£27.80

$1.30 Ft 424

-59.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 E£60.6

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-94.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 E£24.62

$1.81 Ft 591

-74.03%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

11.42%

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

$26.6K E£1.4M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-21.89%

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

$14.06 E£736

$170 Ft 55.3K

-91.73%

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

$6.67 E£349

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-72.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.58 E£710

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-42.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.74 E£667

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-80.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.48 E£392

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-61.00%

Cinema Ticket

$2.90 E£152

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-69.54%

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

$88.5 E£4,628

$537 Ft 174.6K

-83.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,142 E£112.1K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-87.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.60 E£1,758

$101 Ft 33.0K

-66.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.46 E£2,431

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

8.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 E£6,737

$113 Ft 36.7K

14.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.6 E£3,015

$119 Ft 38.6K

-51.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$134 E£7,026

$805 Ft 262.0K

-83.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$69.3 E£3,624

$629 Ft 204.7K

-88.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$292 E£15.3K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-81.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 E£7,629

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-87.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$698 E£36.5K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-87.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$441 E£23.1K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-88.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$142 E£7,430

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-91.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

6.43

231.73%

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

Last update for Alexandria: October 6, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria

$127 27.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 102% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria

$120 25.9%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 41.1% $49

Eating Out

Alexandria

$78 16.9%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 186% $146

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria

$69 15%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 809% $560

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria

$34 7.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 534% $183

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria

$19 4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 360% $67

Getting Around

Alexandria

$16 3.4%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 180% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $134 in Alexandria 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 1045% higher in Budapest, 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 $19.00 in Alexandria versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $127 vs $258 – making Alexandria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Alexandria

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

15:50 3:50 PM

1 h behind Alexandria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,546,231

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.71 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.63 EGP (100 EGP = 1.71 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 EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alexandria Budapest 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Alexandria
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

Alexandria vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest costs about 255% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $686 per month in Alexandria 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 Alexandria, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $88.5 per month in Alexandria and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 102% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alexandria, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Alexandria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Alexandria costs $457 versus $1,621 in Budapest. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Alexandria. 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.