Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aqaba and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Aqaba: $907 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Aqaba
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Aqaba Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Aqaba

🇯🇴 Jordan

$907

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $907 per month in Aqaba vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Aqaba $907
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,490 per month in Aqaba vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Aqaba $1,490
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,073 per month in Aqaba vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Aqaba $2,073
Budapest $3,429

Aqaba is about 44% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Aqaba sits 33% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.78 JOD 1.97

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-80.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.4 JOD 49.11

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

13.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.32 JOD 3.06

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-57.61%

Cappuccino

$4.39 JOD 3.11

$3.26 Ft 1,055

34.66%

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

$0.60 JOD 0.43

$2.14 Ft 690

-71.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 JOD 0.42

$1.78 Ft 577

-66.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.25 JOD 5.84

$3.71 Ft 1,198

122.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.75 JOD 7.61

$3.77 Ft 1,217

185.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 JOD 1.01

$1.15 Ft 371

24.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 JOD 0.36

$1.79 Ft 578

-71.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JOD 1.12

$2.49 Ft 804

-36.14%

Eggs

$1.72 JOD 1.22

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-55.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.55 JOD 3.93

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-50.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 JOD 3.06

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-34.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 JOD 7.08

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-31.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.44 JOD 1.02

$1.83 Ft 591

-21.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 JOD 0.99

$2.05 Ft 661

-31.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 JOD 0.76

$2.37 Ft 765

-54.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 JOD 0.49

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-82.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 JOD 0.48

$0.99 Ft 320

-31.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 JOD 0.51

$1.00 Ft 322

-28.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 JOD 0.42

$1.58 Ft 511

-62.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 JOD 0.38

$0.67 Ft 216

-20.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 JOD 2.67

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-52.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.23 JOD 12.20

$6.22 Ft 2,009

177.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 JOD 1.97

$1.27 Ft 411

118.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 JOD 1.79

$2.03 Ft 654

24.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 JOD 0.36

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-84.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 JOD 0.98

$1.37 Ft 442

0.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 JOD 5.06

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-63.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 JOD 1.02

$1.82 Ft 589

-20.88%

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

$30.8K JOD 21.8K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

3.22%

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

$31.6K JOD 22.3K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-6.66%

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

$127 JOD 90.0

$171 Ft 55.3K

-25.71%

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

$15.73 JOD 11.14

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-33.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.46 JOD 22.27

$23.29 Ft 7,526

35.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 JOD 45.41

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-5.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$11.10 JOD 7.86

$9.30 Ft 3,004

19.35%

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

$486 JOD 344

$533 Ft 172.3K

-8.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,863 JOD 2,027

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-82.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.70 JOD 19.61

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-72.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.79 JOD 30.29

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-1.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.82 JOD 30.32

$110 Ft 35.7K

-61.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 JOD 49.53

$119 Ft 38.4K

-41.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 JOD 196

$830 Ft 268.3K

-66.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$211 JOD 149

$622 Ft 200.9K

-66.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$669 JOD 474

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-57.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 JOD 325

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-60.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,109 JOD 785

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-80.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$572 JOD 405

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-85.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$553 JOD 391

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-66.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

6.45

5.58%

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

Last update for Aqaba: 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

Aqaba

$211 23.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 195% $411

Groceries & Markets

Aqaba

$190 20.9%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 35.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aqaba

$174 19.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 25% $44

Eating Out

Aqaba

$155 17.1%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 43.4% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Aqaba

$86 9.5%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 0.3% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Aqaba

$82 9.1%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 103% $85

Getting Around

Aqaba

$7.4 * 0.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 499% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $277 in Aqaba 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 199% 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 $69.0 in Aqaba versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $190 in Aqaba vs $258 in Budapest – so Aqaba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇴 Aqaba

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

06:57 6:57 AM

1 h behind Aqaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇴 Jordanian Dinar (د.ا)

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.796 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to JOD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Aqaba Budapest 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Aqaba
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

Aqaba vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,360 per month in Aqaba 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 Aqaba, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $907 in Aqaba and $1,619 in Budapest. That's a gap of about 79%.

Kindergarten costs $486 per month in Aqaba and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Aqaba, where all-in costs run around $907, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Aqaba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aqaba – 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 Aqaba. 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.