Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asmara and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Asmara: $1,402 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,402

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,402 in Asmara versus $1,621 in Budapest.

Asmara $1,402
Budapest $1,621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,192 in Asmara versus $2,555 in Budapest.

Asmara $2,192
Budapest $2,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Asmara versus $3,489 in Budapest.

Asmara $2,983
Budapest $3,489

Living in Asmara costs roughly 14% less than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Asmara 5% above, Budapest 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.83 ERN 313

$13.99 Ft 4,551

48.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.92 ERN 509

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-43.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.04 ERN 90.7

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-39.36%

Cappuccino

$0.77 ERN 11.54

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-77.22%

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

$0.97 ERN 14.60

$2.13 Ft 692

-54.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.28

$1.87 Ft 608

-45.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.62 ERN 9.30

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-83.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ERN 24.67

$1.13 Ft 368

45.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 ERN 35.01

$2.39 Ft 777

-2.51%

Eggs

$4.34 ERN 65.3

$3.83 Ft 1,245

13.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.98 ERN 44.76

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-73.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.73 ERN 401

$6.74 Ft 2,192

296.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 ERN 152

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-31.18%

Apples (1kg)

$12.28 ERN 184

$1.84 Ft 597

567.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ERN 19.79

$2.01 Ft 653

-34.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ERN 29.31

$2.36 Ft 767

-17.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ERN 17.05

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-69.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 ERN 26.40

$0.96 Ft 313

83.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ERN 14.26

$1.03 Ft 334

-7.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 ERN 33.91

$0.66 Ft 216

242.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 ERN 178

$6.01 Ft 1,954

97.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ERN 14.76

$1.30 Ft 421

-24.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.27

$2.08 Ft 676

-50.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 ERN 2.13

$1.50 Ft 489

-90.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 ERN 123

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-70.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ERN 8.62

$1.30 Ft 424

-56.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 ERN 148

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-50.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 ERN 37.88

$1.81 Ft 591

39.23%

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

$66.4K ERN 997.5K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

126.45%

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

$68.8K ERN 1.0M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

101.79%

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

$25.13 ERN 377

$170 Ft 55.3K

-85.21%

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

$68.7 ERN 1,032

$23.98 Ft 7,802

186.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$202 ERN 3,031

$23.42 Ft 7,621

761.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.72 ERN 401

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-59.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.91 ERN 73.8

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-74.40%

Cinema Ticket

$1.22 ERN 18.40

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-87.18%

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

$24.69 ERN 371

$537 Ft 174.6K

-95.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,594 ERN 39.0K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-84.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$136 ERN 2,039

$101 Ft 33.0K

33.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$120 ERN 1,800

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

178.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$203 ERN 3,056

$113 Ft 36.7K

80.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 ERN 2,276

$119 Ft 38.6K

27.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 ERN 3,700

$805 Ft 262.0K

-69.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ERN 2,988

$629 Ft 204.7K

-68.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$457 ERN 6,867

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-70.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$432 ERN 6,488

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-62.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,284 ERN 19.3K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-77.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,487 ERN 37.4K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-37.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

86.63%

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

Last update for Asmara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Asmara

$364 * 26.4%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 29.2% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asmara

$296 21.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 26.5% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Asmara

$275 19.9%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 38.4% $106

Eating Out

Asmara

$205 * 14.9%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 9.4% $19

Accommodation & Living

Asmara

$199 14.4%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 216% $430

Sport & Entertainment

Asmara

$29 2.1%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 192% $56

Getting Around

Asmara

$12 * 0.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 274% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $246 in Asmara and $805 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in Asmara vs $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries flip the comparison at $364 vs $258, with Budapest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇷 Asmara

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

08:05 8:05 AM

1 h behind Asmara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,000 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.94 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ERN – Eritrean Nakfa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇷 Eritrean Nakfa (ናቕፋ)

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.85 ERN (100 ERN = 5.94 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 ERN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Asmara Budapest 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Asmara
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

Asmara vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Asmara and Budapest differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,402 vs $1,621 including rent). Asmara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,103 in Asmara and $2,432 in Budapest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $246 in Asmara versus $805 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Asmara runs roughly 238% less than in Budapest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $24.69 in Asmara versus $537 in Budapest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,402 in Asmara versus $1,621 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Asmara but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Asmara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Asmara and Budapest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Asmara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.