Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Asmara

For one person, living is cheaper in Asmara: $1,402 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Asmara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,621 in Budapest versus $1,402 in Asmara.

Budapest $1,621
Asmara $1,402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,555 in Budapest versus $2,192 in Asmara.

Budapest $2,555
Asmara $2,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in Budapest versus $2,983 in Asmara.

Budapest $3,489
Asmara $2,983

Living in Budapest is roughly 16% more expensive than in Asmara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 21% above, Asmara 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$20.83 ERN 313

-32.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$33.92 ERN 509

77.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$6.04 ERN 90.7

64.90%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$0.77 ERN 11.54

338.96%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.97 ERN 14.60

119.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$1.02 ERN 15.28

83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$0.62 ERN 9.30

504.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.64 ERN 24.67

-31.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.33 ERN 35.01

2.58%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$4.34 ERN 65.3

-11.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$2.98 ERN 44.76

280.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$26.73 ERN 401

-74.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$10.11 ERN 152

45.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$12.28 ERN 184

-85.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.32 ERN 19.79

52.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.95 ERN 29.31

21.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.14 ERN 17.05

230.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.76 ERN 26.40

-45.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$0.95 ERN 14.26

8.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$2.26 ERN 33.91

-70.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$11.87 ERN 178

-49.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$0.98 ERN 14.76

32.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$1.02 ERN 15.27

103.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.14 ERN 2.13

971.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$8.17 ERN 123

237.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.57 ERN 8.62

128.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$9.84 ERN 148

101.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$2.52 ERN 37.88

-28.17%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$66.4K ERN 997.5K

-55.84%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$68.8K ERN 1.0M

-50.44%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$25.13 ERN 377

576.24%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$68.7 ERN 1,032

-65.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$202 ERN 3,031

-88.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$26.72 ERN 401

147.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$4.91 ERN 73.8

290.63%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$1.22 ERN 18.40

680.33%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$24.69 ERN 371

2073.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$2,594 ERN 39.0K

540.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$136 ERN 2,039

-25.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$120 ERN 1,800

-64.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$203 ERN 3,056

-44.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$152 ERN 2,276

-21.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$246 ERN 3,700

226.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$199 ERN 2,988

216.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$457 ERN 6,867

238.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$432 ERN 6,488

170.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,284 ERN 19.3K

337.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$2,487 ERN 37.4K

59.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

-46.42%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Asmara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Asmara

$199 14.4% 68.4% $430

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Asmara

$364 * 26.4% 41.2% $106

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Asmara

$205 * 14.9% 8.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Asmara

$296 21.4% 36% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Asmara

$275 19.9% 62.5% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Asmara

$29 2.1% 65.8% $56

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Asmara

$12 * 0.8% 73.3% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $805 in Budapest and $246 in Asmara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60.0 in Budapest vs $34.00 in Asmara. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $364, with Budapest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇪🇷 Asmara

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

10:00 10:00 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

579,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ERN, 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).

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.85 ERN (100 ERN = 5.94 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Asmara 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Asmara

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 Asmara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Asmara differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,621 vs $1,402 including rent). Asmara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,432 in Budapest and $2,103 in Asmara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $805 in Budapest versus $246 in Asmara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Asmara runs roughly 238% less than in Budapest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $537 in Budapest versus $24.69 in Asmara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,402 in Asmara versus $1,621 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Asmara but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Asmara 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 Asmara 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 Asmara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.