Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arusha and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $549 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$549

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $549 per month in Arusha vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Arusha $549
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $888 per month in Arusha vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Arusha $888
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,228 per month in Arusha vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Arusha $1,228
Budapest $3,429

Arusha is about 66% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Arusha sits 59% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 TZS 8,723

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-76.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.39 TZS 71.7K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-55.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 TZS 23.9K

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-10.50%

Cappuccino

$1.70 TZS 4,443

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-47.85%

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

$0.92 TZS 2,421

$2.14 Ft 690

-57.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 TZS 851

$1.78 Ft 577

-82.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 TZS 2,653

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-72.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 TZS 7,336

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-25.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 TZS 2,522

$1.15 Ft 371

-16.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 TZS 1,798

$1.79 Ft 578

-61.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 TZS 4,554

$2.49 Ft 804

-30.12%

Eggs

$1.75 TZS 4,573

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-55.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 TZS 5,802

$1.83 Ft 591

21.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 TZS 2,021

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-80.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 TZS 1,272

$0.99 Ft 320

-50.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 TZS 2,686

$1.00 Ft 322

3.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 TZS 2,229

$0.67 Ft 216

26.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.53 TZS 4,015

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-80.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 TZS 2,444

$1.27 Ft 411

-26.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 TZS 2,417

$2.03 Ft 654

-54.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 TZS 503

$1.52 Ft 490

-87.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.64 TZS 20.0K

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-61.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 TZS 3,259

$1.82 Ft 589

-31.87%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

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

$28.61 TZS 74.9K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-83.28%

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

$8.60 TZS 22.5K

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-63.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.62 TZS 122.1K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

100.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.4 TZS 171.4K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-3.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$4.69 TZS 12.3K

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-49.57%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,710 TZS 20.2M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-53.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$285 TZS 747.5K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-65.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 TZS 611.7K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-62.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 TZS 1.3M

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-69.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 TZS 1.4M

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-55.12%

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 %)

6.45

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

Last update for Arusha: 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

Arusha

$234 42.6%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 166% $388

Eating Out

Arusha

$90 16.4%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 148% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arusha

$84 15.3%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 160% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Arusha

$75 13.6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 15.1% $11

Groceries & Markets

Arusha

$66 * 12%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 293% $192

Getting Around

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 5646% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Arusha

- * 0%

Budapest

$168 10.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $285 in Arusha 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 $27.00 in Arusha versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $66.0 vs $258 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Arusha

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

14:48 2:48 PM

1 h behind Arusha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,631

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,945 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 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 TZS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arusha Budapest 5,910 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Arusha
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

Arusha vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $549 in Arusha, $1,619 in Budapest – roughly 195% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $823 per month in Arusha 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 Arusha, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Arusha and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $549 in Arusha and $1,619 in Budapest. That's a gap of about 195%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $549, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Arusha 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 $549 in Arusha 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 Arusha. 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.