Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bissau and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $837 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$837

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $837 in Bissau versus $1,621 in Budapest.

Bissau $837
Budapest $1,621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,352 in Bissau versus $2,555 in Budapest.

Bissau $1,352
Budapest $2,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,868 in Bissau versus $3,489 in Budapest.

Bissau $1,868
Budapest $3,489

Living in Bissau costs roughly 48% less than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bissau is 38% below, Budapest is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.33 F CFA 3,120

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-61.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.69 F CFA 15.0K

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-57.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 F CFA 5,560

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-4.62%

Cappuccino

$1.75 F CFA 1,023

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-48.22%

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

$1.03 F CFA 600

$2.13 Ft 692

-51.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 F CFA 487

$1.87 Ft 608

-55.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.71 F CFA 413

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-81.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 F CFA 992

$1.13 Ft 368

50.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 F CFA 587

$1.84 Ft 599

-45.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 F CFA 1,184

$2.39 Ft 777

-15.48%

Eggs

$5.29 F CFA 3,093

$3.83 Ft 1,245

38.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.63 F CFA 8,561

$11.33 Ft 3,686

29.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.73 F CFA 8,033

$6.74 Ft 2,192

103.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 F CFA 8,193

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-4.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 F CFA 2,608

$1.84 Ft 597

142.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 F CFA 622

$2.01 Ft 653

-47.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 F CFA 2,558

$2.36 Ft 767

85.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.15 F CFA 85.3

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-96.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 F CFA 829

$0.96 Ft 313

47.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 F CFA 830

$1.03 Ft 334

37.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 F CFA 753

$0.66 Ft 216

95.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

Wine (Bottle)

$6.94 F CFA 4,062

$6.01 Ft 1,954

15.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 F CFA 749

$1.30 Ft 421

-1.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 F CFA 499

$2.08 Ft 676

-59.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 F CFA 294

$1.50 Ft 489

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.49 F CFA 14.9K

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-7.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 F CFA 868

$1.81 Ft 591

-18.23%

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

$31.7K F CFA 18.6M

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

8.16%

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

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-15.17%

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

$105 F CFA 61.5K

$170 Ft 55.3K

-38.11%

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

$34.41 F CFA 20.1K

$23.98 Ft 7,802

43.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.15 F CFA 26.4K

$23.42 Ft 7,621

92.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.73 F CFA 25.6K

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-33.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

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

$759 F CFA 444.1K

$537 Ft 174.6K

41.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,319 F CFA 1.4M

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-86.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$528 F CFA 309.1K

$805 Ft 262.0K

-34.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 F CFA 100.1K

$629 Ft 204.7K

-72.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 F CFA 507.3K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-44.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 F CFA 250.8K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-63.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 F CFA 601.9K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-36.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

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

Last update for Bissau: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bissau

–

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Groceries & Markets

Bissau

–

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Eating Out

Bissau

–

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bissau

–

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Bissau

–

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Bissau

–

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Getting Around

Bissau

–

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $528 in Bissau and $805 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 58% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $26.00 in Bissau vs $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $258, with Budapest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇼 Bissau

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

05:57 5:57 AM

2 h ahead of Bissau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

395,954 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 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 XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bissau Budapest 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bissau
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

Bissau vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bissau and Budapest differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($837 vs $1,621 including rent). Bissau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Budapest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $528 in Bissau versus $805 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $759 in Bissau versus $537 in Budapest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Budapest pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $837 in Bissau versus $1,621 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau 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, Bissau 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 Bissau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.