Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ar-rustaq

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rustaq: $958 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rustaq
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Ar-rustaq Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Ar-rustaq

🇴🇲 Oman

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $958 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Ar-rustaq $958

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,438 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Ar-rustaq $1,438

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,918 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Ar-rustaq $1,918

Budapest costs about 69% more than Ar-rustaq, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Ar-rustaq is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$5.31 OMR 2.04

162.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$39.09 OMR 15.05

56.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$8.01 OMR 3.08

27.22%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$5.10 OMR 1.96

-36.08%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.86 OMR 0.33

148.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.29 OMR 0.11

513.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$13.07 OMR 5.03

-71.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$12.84 OMR 4.94

-70.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.29 OMR 0.88

-49.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.19 OMR 0.46

50.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.84 OMR 0.71

35.33%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.06 OMR 1.18

27.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.51 OMR 2.89

47.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.11 OMR 2.74

-6.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.73 OMR 4.13

36.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.67 OMR 1.41

-50.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.02 OMR 0.78

1.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.31 OMR 0.89

2.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.32 OMR 0.51

195.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.17 OMR 0.45

-15.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.28 OMR 0.49

-21.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.84 OMR 0.71

-14.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.71 OMR 0.27

-5.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.58 OMR 2.53

20.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$15.57 OMR 5.99

-60.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$5.81 OMR 2.24

-78.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$10.12 OMR 3.89

-79.94%

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

$3.17 OMR 1.22

4.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.56 OMR 0.99

-46.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$7.96 OMR 3.06

149.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.63 OMR 0.24

188.89%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$25.8K OMR 9,938

15.44%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$23.0K OMR 8,854

47.02%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$181 OMR 69.8

-5.64%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$28.68 OMR 11.04

-18.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$70.4 OMR 27.10

-66.92%

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

$10.32 OMR 3.97

-9.88%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$293 OMR 113

82.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$10.7K OMR 4,101

57.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$57.4 OMR 22.09

73.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$43.10 OMR 16.59

0.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$88.8 OMR 34.20

24.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$86.7 OMR 33.39

37.19%

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

$4,439 OMR 1,709

-62.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.25

22.86%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ar-rustaq: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Ar-rustaq

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Ar-rustaq

$293 30.6% 13.7% $35

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Ar-rustaq

$223 23.3% 0.1% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Ar-rustaq

$280 29.3% 28.7% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Ar-rustaq

$124 13% 25.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Ar-rustaq

$21 * 2.2% 76% $65

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ar-rustaq

$16 * 1.7% 63.9% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 169% higher in Ar-rustaq, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $39.00 in Ar-rustaq. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $293 in Ar-rustaq – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇴🇲 Ar-rustaq

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

20:58 8:58 PM

2 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

120,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, 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).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Ar-rustaq 4,320 km ≈ 6 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 Ar-rustaq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,437 in Ar-rustaq. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,619 in Budapest and $958 in Ar-rustaq. That's a gap of about 69%.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $293 in Ar-rustaq. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ar-rustaq, where all-in costs run around $958, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ar-rustaq it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ar-rustaq – 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 Ar-rustaq. 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.