Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ben Arous

For one person, living is cheaper in Ben Arous: $698 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Ben Arous
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Ben Arous Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Ben Arous

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ben Arous

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $698 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Ben Arous $698

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,098 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Ben Arous $1,098

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,497 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Ben Arous $1,497

Budapest costs about 132% more than Ben Arous, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Ben Arous is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$5.31 TND 15.90

162.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$19.81 TND 59.3

209.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.06 TND 15.14

101.38%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.16 TND 3.48

181.03%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.65 TND 1.95

229.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.27 TND 0.81

559.26%

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

$2.04 TND 6.12

84.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.52 TND 1.54

121.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.10 TND 0.29

1690.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.70 TND 5.08

46.47%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.48 TND 4.43

163.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.27 TND 30.76

8.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.91 TND 17.70

12.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$17.19 TND 51.5

-14.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.67 TND 5.01

9.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$4.47 TND 13.38

-54.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$0.95 TND 2.84

149.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.80 TND 2.41

387.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.90 TND 2.69

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.66 TND 1.97

51.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.52 TND 1.56

203.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.31 TND 0.93

116.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.49 TND 10.46

128.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.62 TND 19.82

-6.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.00 TND 2.99

27.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.23 TND 3.68

65.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.38 TND 1.14

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$13.56 TND 40.61

106.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.31 TND 0.93

967.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.31 TND 0.92

341.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$1.75 TND 5.23

1033.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.86 TND 2.58

111.63%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$39.9K TND 119.6K

-25.41%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$23.0K TND 69.0K

46.72%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$53.9 TND 162

217.30%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.87 TND 29.56

138.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$20.83 TND 62.4

11.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$32.08 TND 96.1

110.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$16.52 TND 49.46

14.35%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.11 TND 15.29

82.00%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$61.0 TND 183

774.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$1,947 TND 5,830

760.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$43.31 TND 130

129.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$60.2 TND 180

-27.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$85.8 TND 257

28.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$46.95 TND 141

153.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$209 TND 626

297.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$156 TND 467

298.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$386 TND 1,155

313.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$267 TND 799

338.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$933 TND 2,795

524.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$415 TND 1,243

837.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$247 TND 739

569.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

10.5

-38.57%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ben Arous: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Ben Arous

$156 22.4% 74.9% $466

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Ben Arous

$204 29.3% 20.8% $54

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Ben Arous

$88 12.6% 60.7% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Ben Arous

$85 12.1% 61.2% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Ben Arous

$106 15.2% 36.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Ben Arous

$42 6.1% 50.9% $44

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ben Arous

$17 2.4% 61.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $209 in Ben Arous. 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 570% 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 $20.00 in Ben Arous. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $204 – making Ben Arous the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇳 Ben Arous

🕒 Local time

04:55 4:55 AM

03:55 3:55 AM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

88,322

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Ben Arous 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Ben Arous

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 Ben Arous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,619 in Budapest, $698 in Ben Arous – roughly 132% 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 $1,047 in Ben Arous. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ben Arous, 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 $20.00 in Ben Arous. 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 $698 in Ben Arous. That's a gap of about 132%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ben Arous, where all-in costs run around $698, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ben Arous 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 $698 in Ben Arous 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 Ben Arous. 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.