Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arar and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Arar: $1,185 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Arar
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Arar Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Arar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,185

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Arar vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Arar $1,185
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,758 per month in Arar vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Arar $1,758
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Arar vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Arar $2,330
Budapest $3,429

Arar is about 27% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Arar sits 12% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.20 SAR 23.25

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-55.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.34 SAR 140

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-39.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 SAR 29.18

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-23.65%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 SAR 8.72

Cappuccino

$3.16 SAR 11.88

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-3.07%

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

$0.86 SAR 3.24

$2.14 Ft 690

-59.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$1.78 Ft 577

-85.39%

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)

$1.69 SAR 6.33

$1.15 Ft 371

46.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.92

$1.79 Ft 578

-26.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 SAR 8.41

$2.49 Ft 804

-10.04%

Eggs

$2.43 SAR 9.13

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-37.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.61 SAR 28.54

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-31.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 SAR 29.91

$6.62 Ft 2,139

20.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 SAR 48.62

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-11.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 SAR 8.46

$1.83 Ft 591

22.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.27

$2.05 Ft 661

-18.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 SAR 5.97

$2.37 Ft 765

-32.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 SAR 6.14

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-57.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 SAR 4.62

$0.99 Ft 320

24.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 SAR 4.97

$1.00 Ft 322

32.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 SAR 4.58

$1.58 Ft 511

-22.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 SAR 2.06

$0.67 Ft 216

-17.91%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.88 SAR 10.82

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 SAR 7.55

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.50 SAR 24.38

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-18.34%

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)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.52 Ft 490

-31.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.99 SAR 139

$28.02 Ft 9,053

32.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 SAR 10.13

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-18.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 SAR 6.95

$1.37 Ft 442

35.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.26 SAR 49.76

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-33.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.40

$1.82 Ft 589

-64.84%

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

$43.8K SAR 164.5K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

47.16%

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

$21.3K SAR 80.1K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-36.87%

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

$102 SAR 384

$171 Ft 55.3K

-40.28%

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

$32.69 SAR 123

$23.51 Ft 7,596

39.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 SAR 253

$23.29 Ft 7,526

189.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.8 SAR 307

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

21.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$13.21 SAR 49.58

$9.30 Ft 3,004

42.04%

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

$421 SAR 1,579

$533 Ft 172.3K

-21.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,110 SAR 30.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-51.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.56 SAR 156

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-58.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 SAR 202

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

23.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 SAR 361

$110 Ft 35.7K

-12.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 SAR 324

$119 Ft 38.4K

-27.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$587 SAR 2,202

$830 Ft 268.3K

-29.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 SAR 1,416

$622 Ft 200.9K

-39.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 SAR 3,100

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-48.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 SAR 2,155

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-50.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,369 SAR 8,891

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-59.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,355 SAR 5,084

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-65.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

6.45

-14.11%

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

Last update for Arar: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arar

$377 31.8%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 64.8% $245

Groceries & Markets

Arar

$204 17.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 26.5% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arar

$202 17.1%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 7.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Arar

$125 10.6%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 34% $43

Eating Out

Arar

$115 9.7%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 93.3% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Arar

$108 9.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 20.4% $22

Getting Around

Arar

$53 4.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 16.7% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $587 in Arar 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Arar versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $258 – making Arar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Arar

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

1 h behind Arar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

167,057

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

Arar Budapest 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Arar
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

Arar vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,185 in Arar, $1,619 in Budapest – roughly 37% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Arar 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 Arar, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Arar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $421 per month in Arar and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arar, where all-in costs run around $1,185, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Arar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Budapest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,185 in Arar to $1,619 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Arar. 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.