Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Al-qardahah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-qardahah: $638 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Al-qardahah
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Al-qardahah Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Al-qardahah

🇸🇾 Syria

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $638 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Al-qardahah $638

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,011 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Al-qardahah $1,011

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,383 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Al-qardahah $1,383

Budapest costs about 154% more than Al-qardahah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Al-qardahah is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$9.83 SYP 1,194

41.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$42.10 SYP 5,117

45.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.03 SYP 855

44.95%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.67 SYP 446

-11.17%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.27 SYP 276

-5.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.86 SYP 105

106.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.05 SYP 249

80.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.98 SYP 484

-5.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.10 SYP 133

4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.42 SYP 50.5

326.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.58 SYP 192

57.59%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.60 SYP 195

143.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$3.89 SYP 472

185.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.56 SYP 676

19.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$13.73 SYP 1,668

6.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.02 SYP 124

79.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.41 SYP 171

45.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.15 SYP 139

106.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.03 SYP 125

278.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.76 SYP 91.9

30.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.76 SYP 92.1

31.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.44 SYP 53.5

259.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.62 SYP 75.9

8.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.85 SYP 346

179.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.81 SYP 706

7.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.05 SYP 128

20.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.92 SYP 355

-30.48%

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

$0.98 SYP 120

237.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.57 SYP 190

-12.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$7.49 SYP 911

164.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$3.72 SYP 452

-51.08%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

97.67%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$19.0K SYP 2.3M

78.05%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$137 SYP 16.7K

24.68%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.89 SYP 1,202

137.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$45.78 SYP 5,564

-49.13%

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

$5.62 SYP 683

65.48%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$66.2 SYP 8,040

706.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$1,781 SYP 216.4K

840.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$29.05 SYP 3,531

242.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$39.40 SYP 4,788

10.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$59.0 SYP 7,164

87.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$57.9 SYP 7,030

105.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

14.25

-54.74%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Al-qardahah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Al-qardahah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Al-qardahah

$168 26.3% 35% $90

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Al-qardahah

$175 27.3% 21.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Al-qardahah

$193 30.2% 11.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Al-qardahah

$83 13.1% 50.3% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Al-qardahah

$11 * 1.8% 86.9% $75

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Al-qardahah

$8.8 * 1.4% 80.1% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $42.00 in Al-qardahah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $168 – making Al-qardahah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇸🇾 Al-qardahah

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

00:45 12:45 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, 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).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Al-qardahah 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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Budapest
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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-qardahah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 154%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $958 in Al-qardahah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $42.00 in Al-qardahah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al-qardahah, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Al-qardahah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-qardahah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Al-qardahah. 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.