Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $457 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Alexandria

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $457 in Alexandria, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Alexandria $457

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $766 in Alexandria, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Alexandria $766

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,074 in Alexandria, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Alexandria $1,074

Budapest costs about 255% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Alexandria is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$4.22 E£221

231.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$19.34 E£1,012

212.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$4.89 E£256

103.68%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$1.32 E£69.2

156.06%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.33 E£17.52

545.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.11 E£5.74

1600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$1.32 E£68.9

184.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$2.89 E£151

23.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$0.89 E£46.56

26.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$0.68 E£35.57

170.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$0.60 E£31.60

298.33%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$1.18 E£61.8

224.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$3.91 E£205

189.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$4.41 E£231

52.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$9.14 E£478

60.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$1.56 E£81.5

17.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$0.80 E£41.85

151.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$0.53 E£27.47

345.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$0.36 E£18.63

947.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.26 E£13.63

269.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$0.32 E£16.88

221.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.25 E£13.04

524.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.21 E£11.17

214.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$1.93 E£101

312.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$5.62 E£294

6.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.21 E£63.2

7.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.25 E£118

-7.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.19 E£9.89

689.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$11.58 E£606

138.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$0.55 E£29.02

500.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.53 E£27.80

145.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$1.16 E£60.6

1605.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.47 E£24.62

285.11%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$32.7K E£1.7M

-10.25%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$26.6K E£1.4M

28.02%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$14.06 E£736

1108.68%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$6.67 E£349

259.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$13.58 E£710

72.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$12.74 E£667

419.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$7.48 E£392

156.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$2.90 E£152

228.28%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$88.5 E£4,628

506.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$2,142 E£112.1K

675.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$33.60 E£1,758

201.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$46.46 E£2,431

-7.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$129 E£6,737

-12.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$57.6 E£3,015

106.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$134 E£7,026

499.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$69.3 E£3,624

808.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$292 E£15.3K

430.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$146 E£7,629

700.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$698 E£36.5K

705.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$441 E£23.1K

800.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$142 E£7,430

1044.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

21.33

-69.85%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Alexandria

$69 15% 89% $560

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Alexandria

$127 27.5% 50.6% $130

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Alexandria

$78 16.9% 65% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Alexandria

$34 7.4% 84.2% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Alexandria

$120 25.9% 29.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Alexandria

$19 4% 78.2% $67

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Alexandria

$16 3.4% 64.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $134 in Alexandria. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1045% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $19.00 in Alexandria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $127 – making Alexandria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇪🇬 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

16:39 4:39 PM

17:39 5:39 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

4,546,231

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.63 EGP (100 EGP = 1.71 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Alexandria 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest costs about 255% more than Alexandria, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $686 in Alexandria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alexandria, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $88.5 in Alexandria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 102% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alexandria, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Alexandria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Alexandria costs $457 versus $1,621 in Budapest. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Alexandria. 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.