Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Al-hawiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-hawiyah: $1,081 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Al-hawiyah
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Al-hawiyah Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Al-hawiyah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Al-hawiyah

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Al-hawiyah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $1,081 in Al-hawiyah.

Budapest $1,619
Al-hawiyah $1,081

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $1,603 in Al-hawiyah.

Budapest $2,524
Al-hawiyah $1,603

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $2,125 in Al-hawiyah.

Budapest $3,429
Al-hawiyah $2,125

Living in Budapest is roughly 50% more expensive than in Al-hawiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 20% above, Al-hawiyah is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$4.44 SAR 16.67

213.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$26.52 SAR 99.5

130.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.91 SAR 25.93

47.47%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.91

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 SAR 5.64

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.63 SAR 9.88

23.95%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.70 SAR 2.63

205.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.25 SAR 0.94

612.00%

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)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.83 SAR 6.85

-37.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.96 SAR 3.60

86.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.20 SAR 8.25

13.18%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.68 SAR 10.04

45.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$5.85 SAR 21.94

89.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$11.70 SAR 43.90

-43.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$13.12 SAR 49.22

11.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.04 SAR 7.64

-10.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.58 SAR 5.92

29.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.83 SAR 6.88

29.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.49 SAR 5.60

161.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.30 SAR 4.87

-23.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.50 SAR 5.63

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.09 SAR 4.09

44.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.74 SAR 2.77

-9.46%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.99 SAR 11.21

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 SAR 7.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$8.00 SAR 30.02

-0.50%

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)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.10 SAR 4.13

38.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$36.82 SAR 138

-23.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.44 SAR 9.15

35.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.69 SAR 10.10

-49.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$13.24 SAR 49.67

49.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.59 SAR 2.23

208.47%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$43.9K SAR 164.7K

-32.09%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$21.5K SAR 80.8K

56.98%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$67.1 SAR 252

155.06%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$35.32 SAR 133

-33.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$62.5 SAR 235

-62.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$80.6 SAR 302

-16.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$15.09 SAR 56.6

-38.37%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$423 SAR 1,586

26.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$7,864 SAR 29.5K

113.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$13.09 SAR 49.11

660.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$55.8 SAR 209

-22.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$40.45 SAR 152

172.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$52.5 SAR 197

126.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$576 SAR 2,162

44.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$366 SAR 1,375

69.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$826 SAR 3,098

93.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$577 SAR 2,166

102.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,404 SAR 9,023

142.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,375 SAR 5,158

182.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.25

22.86%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Al-hawiyah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Al-hawiyah

$366 33.9% 41.1% $256

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Al-hawiyah

$217 20.1% 15.8% $41

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Al-hawiyah

$92 8.5% 58.9% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Al-hawiyah

$165 15.3% 24.3% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Al-hawiyah

$73 6.7% 56.6% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Al-hawiyah

$111 10.2% 28.6% $25

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Al-hawiyah

$57 5.3% 29.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $576 in Al-hawiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Budapest vs $27.00 in Al-hawiyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $217 per month, with Al-hawiyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇸🇦 Al-hawiyah

🕒 Local time

03:28 3:28 AM

04:28 4:28 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

148,151

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

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).

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).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Al-hawiyah 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Budapest
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Al-hawiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Al-hawiyah differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($1,619 vs $1,081 including rent). Al-hawiyah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,428 in Budapest and $1,621 in Al-hawiyah 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: $830 in Budapest versus $576 in Al-hawiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-hawiyah – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $61.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,619 per month in Budapest versus $1,081 in Al-hawiyah – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,081 in Al-hawiyah versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Al-hawiyah but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Al-hawiyah 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, Budapest and Al-hawiyah 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 Al-hawiyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.