Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ar-rass

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rass: $1,154 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rass
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Ar-rass Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Ar-rass

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ar-rass

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $1,154 in Ar-rass.

Budapest $1,619
Ar-rass $1,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $1,690 in Ar-rass.

Budapest $2,524
Ar-rass $1,690

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $2,226 in Ar-rass.

Budapest $3,429
Ar-rass $2,226

Living in Budapest is roughly 40% more expensive than in Ar-rass, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 20% above, Ar-rass is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.16 SAR 23.12

126.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$37.47 SAR 141

63.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.90 SAR 29.65

28.99%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.07

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.58

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.25 SAR 12.18

0.31%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.91 SAR 3.41

135.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.26 SAR 0.98

584.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.81 SAR 6.81

-36.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.39 SAR 1.45

358.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.92 SAR 7.19

29.69%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.60 SAR 13.52

8.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.00 SAR 26.28

58.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$8.05 SAR 30.20

-17.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$12.79 SAR 47.99

14.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.24 SAR 8.41

-18.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.76 SAR 6.60

16.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.57 SAR 5.91

50.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.57 SAR 5.89

148.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.16 SAR 4.37

-14.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.36 SAR 5.11

-26.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.28 SAR 4.79

23.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.57 SAR 2.14

17.54%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.26 SAR 12.24

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SAR 7.46

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 SAR 8.49

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$7.53 SAR 28.27

5.71%

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

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.98 SAR 3.69

55.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$34.39 SAR 129

-18.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.59 SAR 9.72

27.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.87 SAR 7.02

-26.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$11.84 SAR 44.42

67.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.65 SAR 2.44

180.00%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$43.1K SAR 161.7K

-30.87%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$20.9K SAR 78.3K

62.14%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$110 SAR 414

55.18%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$23.87 SAR 89.6

-1.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$59.0 SAR 221

-60.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$44.88 SAR 168

50.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$13.43 SAR 50.4

-30.75%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$425 SAR 1,595

25.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$8,688 SAR 32.6K

92.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$42.84 SAR 161

132.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$62.4 SAR 234

-30.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$96.1 SAR 360

14.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$87.6 SAR 329

35.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$579 SAR 2,174

43.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$394 SAR 1,480

57.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$388 SAR 1,456

310.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$563 SAR 2,111

108.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,625 SAR 9,851

122.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,188 SAR 4,460

227.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,765 SAR 6,622

-6.44%

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 Ar-rass: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Ar-rass

$394 34.2% 36.6% $228

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Ar-rass

$198 17.1% 23.3% $60

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Ar-rass

$117 10.1% 47.7% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Ar-rass

$193 16.7% 11.4% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Ar-rass

$130 11.3% 22.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Ar-rass

$72 6.2% 16.7% $14

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ar-rass

$50 4.4% 13.6% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $579 in Ar-rass. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ar-rass 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 $37.00 in Ar-rass for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $198 per month, with Ar-rass cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇸🇦 Ar-rass

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

18:11 6:11 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

121,359

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

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).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Ar-rass 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Budapest
Ar-rass

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 Ar-rass: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Ar-rass differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,619 vs $1,154 including rent). Ar-rass is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Ar-rass. 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 $579 in Ar-rass. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $533 in Budapest versus $425 in Ar-rass. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,154 in Ar-rass versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ar-rass but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Ar-rass 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 Ar-rass 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 Ar-rass gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.