Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Al Muharraq

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Muharraq: $1,089 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Al Muharraq
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Al Muharraq Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Al Muharraq

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,089

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Al Muharraq

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $1,089 in Al Muharraq.

Budapest $1,619
Al Muharraq $1,089

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $1,621 in Al Muharraq.

Budapest $2,524
Al Muharraq $1,621

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $2,152 in Al Muharraq.

Budapest $3,429
Al Muharraq $2,152

Living in Budapest is roughly 49% more expensive than in Al Muharraq, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 20% above, Al Muharraq is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.67 BHD 1.01

422.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$26.28 BHD 9.92

132.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.94 BHD 2.24

71.55%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.04 BHD 1.52

-19.31%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.89 BHD 0.33

140.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.32 BHD 0.12

456.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$6.49 BHD 2.45

-42.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$6.82 BHD 2.57

-44.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.34 BHD 0.51

-14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.05 BHD 0.40

70.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.29 BHD 0.86

8.73%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.24 BHD 0.84

74.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$3.64 BHD 1.37

204.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.82 BHD 1.82

37.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.40 BHD 3.17

74.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.03 BHD 0.39

77.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.89 BHD 0.71

8.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.09 BHD 0.41

117.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.38 BHD 0.52

182.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.02 BHD 0.38

-2.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.52 BHD 0.19

92.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.52 BHD 0.19

203.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.51 BHD 0.19

31.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.40 BHD 2.04

47.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$18.89 BHD 7.13

-67.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$3.63 BHD 1.37

-65.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.73 BHD 1.03

-25.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$5.40 BHD 2.04

-38.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.33 BHD 0.50

3.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$5.35 BHD 2.02

270.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.51 BHD 0.19

256.86%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$37.6K BHD 14.2K

-20.76%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$20.7K BHD 7,827

63.03%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$151 BHD 57.1

13.14%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$21.42 BHD 8.08

9.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$35.71 BHD 13.48

-34.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$10.65 BHD 4.02

-12.68%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$488 BHD 184

9.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$10.8K BHD 4,092

54.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$50.7 BHD 19.14

96.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$58.3 BHD 22.00

-25.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$88.7 BHD 33.46

24.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$88.5 BHD 33.38

34.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$466 BHD 176

78.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$376 BHD 142

65.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$977 BHD 369

63.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$741 BHD 280

57.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,015 BHD 760

189.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,582 BHD 597

145.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,773 BHD 669

-6.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.21

3.86%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Al Muharraq: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Al Muharraq

$376 34.5% 39.6% $246

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Al Muharraq

$204 18.7% 21% $54

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Al Muharraq

$139 12.7% 37.8% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Al Muharraq

$208 19.1% 4.4% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Al Muharraq

$129 11.8% 23.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Al Muharraq

$21 * 2% 75.3% $65

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Al Muharraq

$12 * 1.1% 72.7% $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 $830 in Budapest and $466 in Al Muharraq. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Muharraq pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Budapest vs $26.00 in Al Muharraq for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $204 per month, with Al Muharraq cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇭 Al Muharraq

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

12:06 12:06 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

75,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.424 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Al Muharraq 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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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 Muharraq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Al Muharraq differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($1,619 vs $1,089 including rent). Al Muharraq is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Al Muharraq. 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: $830 in Budapest versus $466 in Al Muharraq. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,619 per month in Budapest versus $1,089 in Al Muharraq – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,089 in Al Muharraq versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Al Muharraq but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Al Muharraq 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 Muharraq 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 Muharraq gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.