Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Arusha

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $549 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
Learn more

Arusha Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Arusha

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $549 in Arusha, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Arusha $549

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $888 in Arusha, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Arusha $888

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,228 in Arusha, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Arusha $1,228

Budapest costs about 195% more than Arusha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Arusha is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.33 TZS 8,723

318.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$27.39 TZS 71.7K

123.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$9.12 TZS 23.9K

11.73%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.70 TZS 4,443

91.76%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.92 TZS 2,421

132.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.32 TZS 851

456.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.01 TZS 2,653

267.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.80 TZS 7,336

34.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.96 TZS 2,522

19.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.69 TZS 1,798

159.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.74 TZS 4,554

43.10%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.75 TZS 4,573

122.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.22 TZS 5,802

-17.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.77 TZS 2,021

406.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.49 TZS 1,272

102.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.03 TZS 2,686

-2.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.85 TZS 2,229

-21.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$1.53 TZS 4,015

420.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.93 TZS 2,444

36.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$0.92 TZS 2,417

120.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.19 TZS 503

700.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$7.64 TZS 20.0K

159.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.24 TZS 3,259

46.77%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$28.61 TZS 74.9K

498.11%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$8.60 TZS 22.5K

173.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$46.62 TZS 122.1K

-50.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$65.4 TZS 171.4K

3.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.69 TZS 12.3K

98.29%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$7,710 TZS 20.2M

117.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$285 TZS 747.5K

190.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$234 TZS 611.7K

166.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$491 TZS 1.3M

224.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$525 TZS 1.4M

122.84%

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

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Arusha: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Arusha

$234 42.6% 62.4% $388

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Arusha

$66 * 12% 74.6% $192

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Arusha

$90 16.4% 59.6% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Arusha

$84 15.3% 61.5% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Arusha

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Arusha

$75 13.6% 13.1% $11

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1% 98.3% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $285 in Arusha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $27.00 in Arusha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $66.0 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇿 Arusha

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

16:51 4:51 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

617,631

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, 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).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,945 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Arusha 5,910 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Arusha

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 Arusha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,619 in Budapest, $549 in Arusha – roughly 195% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $823 in Arusha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $27.00 in Arusha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,619 in Budapest and $549 in Arusha. That's a gap of about 195%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $549, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Arusha 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 $549 in Arusha 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 Arusha. 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.