Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Al-mawsil

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-mawsil: $601 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Al-mawsil
Learn more

Al-mawsil Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Al-mawsil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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-mawsil actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $601 in Al-mawsil.

Budapest $1,619
Al-mawsil $601

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $917 in Al-mawsil.

Budapest $2,524
Al-mawsil $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $1,233 in Al-mawsil.

Budapest $3,429
Al-mawsil $1,233

Living in Budapest is roughly 169% more expensive than in Al-mawsil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 20% above, Al-mawsil is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.46 IQD 9,767

115.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$10.37 IQD 15.7K

490.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.03 IQD 7,597

102.58%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$0.68 IQD 1,024

379.41%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.34 IQD 519

529.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.14 IQD 219

1171.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.85 IQD 1,286

336.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.31 IQD 1,977

187.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.63 IQD 950

82.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.64 IQD 964

179.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.54 IQD 816

361.11%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$0.94 IQD 1,424

314.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.10 IQD 10.7K

56.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.00 IQD 4,536

120.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$7.80 IQD 11.8K

88.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$0.64 IQD 970

185.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$0.67 IQD 1,013

205.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$0.51 IQD 769

364.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.22 IQD 332

1672.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.27 IQD 408

266.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.32 IQD 483

212.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.61 IQD 928

159.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.51 IQD 773

31.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$1.62 IQD 2,448

391.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$10.82 IQD 16.3K

-42.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.41 IQD 2,124

-9.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.88 IQD 2,838

7.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.40 IQD 600

280.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$19.83 IQD 30.0K

41.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.61 IQD 2,438

105.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.61 IQD 2,430

-14.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$3.86 IQD 5,830

413.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.29 IQD 432

527.59%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$13.2K IQD 19.9M

125.89%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$15.0K IQD 22.7M

125.13%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$92.5 IQD 139.8K

85.01%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$12.26 IQD 18.5K

91.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$23.36 IQD 35.3K

-0.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$36.85 IQD 55.7K

83.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$6.72 IQD 10.2K

181.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.74 IQD 10.2K

37.98%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$307 IQD 463.9K

73.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$588 IQD 888.5K

2749.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$16.19 IQD 24.5K

515.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$13.44 IQD 20.3K

223.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$59.1 IQD 89.3K

86.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$15.72 IQD 23.8K

656.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$176 IQD 265.7K

372.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$130 IQD 196.5K

378.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$381 IQD 575.7K

318.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$305 IQD 461.0K

283.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$745 IQD 1.1M

682.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$587 IQD 887.1K

562.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$537 IQD 811.7K

207.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.53

154.94%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Al-mawsil: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Al-mawsil

$130 21.6% 79.1% $492

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Al-mawsil

$131 21.8% 49.2% $127

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Al-mawsil

$84 13.9% 62.4% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Al-mawsil

$128 21.3% 41.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Al-mawsil

$47 7.8% 72% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Al-mawsil

$50 8.4% 41.6% $36

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Al-mawsil

$31 5.2% 29.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $176 in Al-mawsil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 207% 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: $61.0 in Budapest vs $10.00 in Al-mawsil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $131 per month, with Al-mawsil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇶 Al-mawsil

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

21:55 9:55 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,683,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Al-mawsil 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Budapest
Al-mawsil

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-mawsil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-mawsil is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 169% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 207% higher in Budapest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $830 in Budapest versus $176 in Al-mawsil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $533 in Budapest versus $307 in Al-mawsil. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $601 in Al-mawsil versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Al-mawsil but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Al-mawsil the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Al-mawsil is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Budapest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Al-mawsil 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-mawsil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 169% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.