Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ariana

For one person, living is cheaper in Ariana: $666 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Ariana
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Ariana Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Ariana

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ariana

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $666 in Ariana, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Ariana $666

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,039 in Ariana, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Ariana $1,039

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,413 in Ariana, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Ariana $1,413

Budapest costs about 143% more than Ariana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Ariana is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$4.44 TND 13.29

213.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$17.44 TND 52.3

251.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.77 TND 14.29

113.63%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.11 TND 3.33

193.69%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.66 TND 1.97

224.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.33 TND 1.00

439.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.65 TND 4.95

124.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.38 TND 4.12

173.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.52 TND 1.56

121.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.26 TND 0.78

588.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.77 TND 5.30

40.68%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.55 TND 4.64

151.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.27 TND 21.79

52.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.03 TND 18.06

9.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.19 TND 33.52

31.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.66 TND 4.97

10.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.65 TND 7.93

-22.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.12 TND 3.34

111.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.76 TND 2.28

413.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.80 TND 2.40

23.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.71 TND 2.11

40.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.52 TND 1.57

203.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.33 TND 0.99

103.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.43 TND 10.28

132.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.78 TND 20.30

-8.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.24 TND 3.70

2.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.58 TND 4.73

28.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.35 TND 1.04

334.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$10.04 TND 30.07

179.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.30 TND 0.89

1003.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.33 TND 1.00

315.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$1.75 TND 5.25

1033.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.82 TND 2.44

121.95%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$37.3K TND 111.7K

-20.08%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$33.3K TND 99.7K

1.60%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$59.8 TND 179

186.35%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.20 TND 27.55

155.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$20.51 TND 61.4

13.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$31.26 TND 93.6

116.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$16.96 TND 50.8

11.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.36 TND 13.07

113.30%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$103 TND 308

419.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$3,289 TND 9,850

409.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$38.46 TND 115

159.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$58.2 TND 174

-25.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$90.1 TND 270

22.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$65.7 TND 197

81.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$244 TND 731

240.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$160 TND 479

288.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$441 TND 1,322

261.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$292 TND 876

300.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,110 TND 3,324

425.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$732 TND 2,193

431.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$331 TND 991

399.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

10.67

-39.55%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ariana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Ariana

$160 24% 74.3% $462

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Ariana

$172 25.8% 33.4% $86

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Ariana

$78 11.7% 64.9% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Ariana

$89 13.4% 58.9% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Ariana

$114 17% 32.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Ariana

$40 6% 53.6% $46

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ariana

$13 2% 69.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $244 in Ariana. 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 399% 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $17.00 in Ariana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $172 – making Ariana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇳 Ariana

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

22:25 10:25 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

114,486

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, 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).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Ariana 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Ariana

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 Ariana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,619 in Budapest, $666 in Ariana – roughly 143% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,000 in Ariana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 50% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $17.00 in Ariana. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ariana, where all-in costs run around $666, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ariana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Budapest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $666 in Ariana to $1,619 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Ariana. 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.