Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Al Majma'ah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Majma'ah: $1,267 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Al Majma'ah
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,267
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Al Majma'ah

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 Majma'ah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,267 in Al Majma'ah, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,619
  • Al Majma'ah $1,267

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,966 in Al Majma'ah, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,524
  • Al Majma'ah $1,966

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,664 in Al Majma'ah, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,429
  • Al Majma'ah $2,664

Budapest costs about 28% more than Al Majma'ah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Al Majma'ah is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Al Majma'ah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.94 Ft 4,503
$7.88 SAR 29.56
76.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
$66.1 SAR 248
-7.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.19 Ft 3,291
$8.24 SAR 30.92
23.67%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.17 SAR 8.14
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.95 SAR 11.09
-
Cappuccino
$3.26 Ft 1,055
$4.35 SAR 16.33
-25.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 Ft 690
$0.90 SAR 3.38
137.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 Ft 577
$0.30 SAR 1.11
493.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.71 Ft 1,198
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.77 Ft 1,217
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Al Majma'ah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 Ft 371
$1.81 SAR 6.79
-36.46%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 Ft 578
$1.32 SAR 4.95
35.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 Ft 804
$2.36 SAR 8.85
5.51%
Eggs
$3.90 Ft 1,261
$3.13 SAR 11.76
24.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.10 Ft 3,587
$10.67 SAR 40.04
4.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 Ft 2,139
$9.33 SAR 35.01
-29.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,745
$15.07 SAR 56.5
-2.52%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 Ft 591
$2.82 SAR 10.58
-35.11%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 Ft 661
$1.97 SAR 7.41
4.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.37 Ft 765
$2.43 SAR 9.11
-2.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.90 Ft 1,260
$1.72 SAR 6.47
126.74%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 Ft 320
$1.17 SAR 4.40
-15.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.00 Ft 322
$1.26 SAR 4.74
-20.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 Ft 511
$1.69 SAR 6.34
-6.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 Ft 216
$0.54 SAR 2.02
24.07%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.85 SAR 10.71
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.77 SAR 6.64
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.38 SAR 8.93
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,572
$7.95 SAR 29.84
0.13%
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
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Al Majma'ah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 Ft 490
$1.06 SAR 3.96
43.40%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.02 Ft 9,053
$37.10 SAR 139
-24.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 Ft 1,070
$3.27 SAR 12.26
1.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 Ft 442
$1.85 SAR 6.94
-25.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.83 Ft 6,406
$13.46 SAR 50.5
47.33%
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
$34.8K SAR 130.6K
-14.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
$23.0K SAR 86.2K
47.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Al Majma'ah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$171 Ft 55.3K
$105 SAR 395
62.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.51 Ft 7,596
$29.75 SAR 112
-20.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.29 Ft 7,526
$71.1 SAR 267
-67.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Al Majma'ah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
$81.7 SAR 307
-17.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.89 Ft 6,104
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.30 Ft 3,004
$13.61 SAR 51.1
-31.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Al Majma'ah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$533 Ft 172.3K
$530 SAR 1,988
0.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
$10.0K SAR 37.7K
66.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Al Majma'ah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
$58.3 SAR 219
71.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
$54.8 SAR 206
-20.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 Ft 35.7K
$101 SAR 379
9.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.4K
$102 SAR 384
16.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Al Majma'ah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$830 Ft 268.3K
$577 SAR 2,166
43.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 Ft 200.9K
$371 SAR 1,391
67.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
$825 SAR 3,096
93.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
$570 SAR 2,137
105.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
$2,389 SAR 8,966
144.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
$1,363 SAR 5,113
185.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Al Majma'ah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.45
5.54
16.43%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Al Majma'ah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$622
Al Majma'ah
$371 40.4% $251
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Al Majma'ah
$241 6.7% $17
Eating Out
Budapest
$223
Al Majma'ah
$145 35.1% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$218
Al Majma'ah
$206 5.4% $12
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$168
Al Majma'ah
$142 15.1% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$86
Al Majma'ah
$109 26.5% $23
Getting Around
Budapest
$44
Al Majma'ah
$54 21.7% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $577 in Al Majma'ah. 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $66.0 in Al Majma'ah. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $241 in Al Majma'ah – so Al Majma'ah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇸🇦 Al Majma'ah
🕒 Local time
17:32 5:32 PM
18:32 6:32 PM
1 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Al Majma'ah 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Al Majma'ah

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
Budapest vs Al Majma'ah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Budapest or Al Majma'ah?
Budapest costs about 28% more than Al Majma'ah, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Budapest and in Al Majma'ah?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,901 in Al Majma'ah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Budapest or Al Majma'ah?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Majma'ah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Budapest and in Al Majma'ah?
Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $530 in Al Majma'ah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Budapest or in Al Majma'ah?
Groceries cost about 7% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Budapest or in Al Majma'ah?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al Majma'ah, where all-in costs run around $1,267, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Al Majma'ah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Budapest or Al Majma'ah?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Al Majma'ah costs $1,267 versus $1,619 in Budapest. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Budapest compared to Al Majma'ah?
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.
Should I move to Budapest or to Al Majma'ah?
If budget matters most, go with Al Majma'ah. 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.

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