Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Banjul

For one person, living is cheaper in Banjul: $674 a month against $1,621 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Banjul
Learn more

Banjul Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Banjul

🇬🇲 Gambia

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Banjul

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $674 in Banjul, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Banjul $674

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,184 in Banjul, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Banjul $1,184

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,695 in Banjul, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Banjul $1,695

Budapest costs about 141% more than Banjul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Banjul is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$7.29 GMD 532

91.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$73.0 GMD 5,328

-17.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$7.91 GMD 578

25.92%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$3.76 GMD 274

-10.11%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$2.66 GMD 194

-19.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$1.54 GMD 112

21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$5.45 GMD 398

-31.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$4.44 GMD 324

-19.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.38 GMD 101

-18.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$0.64 GMD 46.87

187.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.29 GMD 94.5

85.27%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$1.97 GMD 144

94.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$6.16 GMD 450

83.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$2.63 GMD 192

156.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$5.45 GMD 398

169.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$2.06 GMD 150

-10.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.22 GMD 88.7

64.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.76 GMD 128

34.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$1.32 GMD 96.7

185.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$0.88 GMD 64.4

9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$1.00 GMD 73.0

3.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.25 GMD 18.31

524.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.61 GMD 44.59

8.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$1.66 GMD 122

379.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$6.29 GMD 459

-4.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.53 GMD 111

-15.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$1.69 GMD 123

23.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.19 GMD 13.59

689.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$6.40 GMD 468

331.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.71 GMD 51.7

83.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$4.12 GMD 301

380.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.08 GMD 79.1

67.59%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$2,616 GMD 191.0K

1021.04%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$3,205 GMD 233.9K

964.32%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$30.89 GMD 2,255

450.15%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$14.21 GMD 1,038

68.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$45.37 GMD 3,312

-48.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$23.56 GMD 1,720

181.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$13.61 GMD 994

40.93%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$3.37 GMD 246

182.49%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$6.59 GMD 481

8044.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$136 GMD 9,921

12119.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$55.2 GMD 4,029

83.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$43.48 GMD 3,174

-1.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$99.0 GMD 7,228

13.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$85.6 GMD 6,251

38.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$101 GMD 7,347

699.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$81.2 GMD 5,924

675.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$213 GMD 15.6K

625.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$138 GMD 10.1K

747.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,438 GMD 104.9K

290.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,160 GMD 84.7K

242.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$60.6 GMD 4,426

2580.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

-57.13%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Banjul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Banjul

$81 12.1% 87.1% $548

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Banjul

$149 22.3% 42.1% $109

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Banjul

$180 26.9% 19.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Banjul

$90 13.5% 58.4% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Banjul

$127 19.1% 24.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Banjul

$30 4.5% 64.5% $55

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Banjul

$11 * 1.6% 75.4% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $101 in Banjul. 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 2581% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $73.0 in Banjul. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $149 in Banjul – so Banjul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇲 Banjul

🕒 Local time

03:54 3:54 AM

01:54 1:54 AM

2 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

31,356 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Gambian Dalasi GMD D

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 GMD = 1.37 USD

100 GMD = 1.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GMD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Gambian Dalasi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 73 GMD (100 GMD = 1.37 USD). 1 EUR = 81.88 GMD (100 GMD = 1.22 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Banjul 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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Budapest
Banjul

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 Banjul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,010 in Banjul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,621 in Budapest and $674 in Banjul. That's a gap of about 141%.

Public transport costs about 331% less in Banjul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Banjul, where all-in costs run around $674, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Banjul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Banjul – 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 Banjul. 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.