Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Benares

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Benares
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Benares Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Benares

🇲🇺 Mauritius

/mo nomad

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

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

$2.14 Ft 690

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

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

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

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

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

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

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

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

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

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 Benares: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Benares

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Benares

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Benares

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Benares

- * 0% 100%

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Benares

- * 100% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Benares

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Benares

- * 0% 100%

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

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇺 Benares

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

22:28 10:28 PM

2 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

9,927

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, 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).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Benares 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Benares

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 Benares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Families tend to lean toward Benares – 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 Benares. 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.