Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ar-rustaq and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rustaq: $958 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rustaq
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Ar-rustaq Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Ar-rustaq

🇴🇲 Oman

$958

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $958
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,438 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $1,438
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,918 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $1,918
Budapest $3,429

Ar-rustaq is about 41% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Ar-rustaq sits 29% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.31 OMR 2.04

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-61.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.09 OMR 15.05

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-36.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 OMR 3.08

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-21.39%

Cappuccino

$5.10 OMR 1.96

$3.26 Ft 1,055

56.44%

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

$0.86 OMR 0.33

$2.14 Ft 690

-59.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 OMR 0.11

$1.78 Ft 577

-83.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.07 OMR 5.03

$3.71 Ft 1,198

252.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.84 OMR 4.94

$3.77 Ft 1,217

240.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 OMR 0.88

$1.15 Ft 371

99.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 OMR 0.46

$1.79 Ft 578

-33.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 OMR 0.71

$2.49 Ft 804

-26.10%

Eggs

$3.06 OMR 1.18

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-21.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 OMR 2.89

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-32.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 OMR 2.74

$6.62 Ft 2,139

7.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.73 OMR 4.13

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-26.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 OMR 1.41

$1.83 Ft 591

100.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 OMR 0.78

$2.05 Ft 661

-1.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 OMR 0.89

$2.37 Ft 765

-2.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 OMR 0.51

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-66.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 OMR 0.45

$0.99 Ft 320

18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$1.00 Ft 322

28.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 OMR 0.71

$1.58 Ft 511

16.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 OMR 0.27

$0.67 Ft 216

5.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 OMR 2.53

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-17.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.57 OMR 5.99

$6.22 Ft 2,009

150.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.81 OMR 2.24

$1.27 Ft 411

357.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.12 OMR 3.89

$2.03 Ft 654

398.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 OMR 1.22

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-4.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 OMR 0.99

$1.37 Ft 442

86.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 OMR 3.06

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-59.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 OMR 0.24

$1.82 Ft 589

-65.38%

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

$25.8K OMR 9,938

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-13.38%

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

$23.0K OMR 8,854

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-31.98%

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

$181 OMR 69.8

$171 Ft 55.3K

5.97%

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

$28.68 OMR 11.04

$23.51 Ft 7,596

21.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 OMR 27.10

$23.29 Ft 7,526

202.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$10.32 OMR 3.97

$9.30 Ft 3,004

10.97%

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

$293 OMR 113

$533 Ft 172.3K

-45.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K OMR 4,101

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-36.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 OMR 22.09

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-42.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.10 OMR 16.59

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-0.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 OMR 34.20

$110 Ft 35.7K

-19.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.7 OMR 33.39

$119 Ft 38.4K

-27.11%

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)

$4,439 OMR 1,709

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

168.85%

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 Ar-rustaq: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ar-rustaq

$293 30.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 12.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ar-rustaq

$280 29.3%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 22.3% $63

Eating Out

Ar-rustaq

$223 23.3%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 0.1% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Ar-rustaq

$124 13%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 34.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Ar-rustaq

$21 * 2.2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 317% $65

Getting Around

Ar-rustaq

$16 * 1.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 177% $28

Accommodation & Living

Ar-rustaq

- * 0%

Budapest

$622 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 169% higher in Ar-rustaq, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Ar-rustaq versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $293 in Ar-rustaq vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Ar-rustaq

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

18:05 6:05 PM

2 h behind Ar-rustaq

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,000

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 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 OMR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ar-rustaq Budapest 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ar-rustaq
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

Ar-rustaq vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,437 per month in Ar-rustaq and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $958 in Ar-rustaq and $1,619 in Budapest. That's a gap of about 69%.

Kindergarten costs $293 per month in Ar-rustaq 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 Ar-rustaq, where all-in costs run around $958, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ar-rustaq it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ar-rustaq – 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 Ar-rustaq. 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.