Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Birjand

For one person, living is cheaper in Birjand: $557 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Birjand
Learn more

Birjand Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Birjand

🇮🇷 Iran

$557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Birjand

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $557 in Birjand, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Birjand $557

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $878 in Birjand, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Birjand $878

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,198 in Birjand, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Birjand $1,198

Budapest costs about 190% more than Birjand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.40 $3.40

310.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$19.37 $19.37

216.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$3.85 $3.85

164.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 $0.77

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.09 $1.09

199.08%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.44 $0.44

386.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.13 $1.13

57.52%

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

$0.61 $0.61

88.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.48 $0.48

272.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.99 $1.99

25.13%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.17 $1.17

233.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$4.90 $4.90

126.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.18 $3.18

108.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.08 $9.08

61.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.09 $1.09

67.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.78 $1.78

15.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$0.77 $0.77

207.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.60 $0.60

550.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.52 $0.52

90.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.55 $0.55

81.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.49 $0.49

222.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.21 $0.21

219.05%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.79 $0.79

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 $0.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.35 $2.35

238.72%

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

$0.16 $0.16

850.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$10.67 $10.67

162.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.38 $0.38

771.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.29 $0.29

372.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$2.24 $2.24

785.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.08 $0.08

2175.00%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$48.0K $48.0K

-37.87%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$47.9K $47.9K

-29.46%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$13.94 $13.94

1127.55%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$1.47 $1.47

1499.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$3.50 $3.50

565.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$19.45 $19.45

247.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$13.79 $13.79

36.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$2.08 $2.08

347.12%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$119 $119

348.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$2,693 $2,693

522.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$23.19 $23.19

329.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$29.44 $29.44

47.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$98.0 $98.0

12.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$68.1 $68.1

74.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$258 $258

221.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$234 $234

165.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$726 $726

119.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$387 $387

202.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,006 $1,006

479.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$526 $526

639.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

24.3

-73.46%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Birjand: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Birjand

$234 42.1% 62.3% $388

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Birjand

$111 19.9% 57.1% $147

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Birjand

$58 10.4% 73.9% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Birjand

$19 3.4% 91.3% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Birjand

$98 17.7% 41.3% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Birjand

$24 4.2% 72.6% $63

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Birjand

$13 2.4% 70.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $258 in Birjand. 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 $19.00 in Birjand. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $111 – making Birjand the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇷 Birjand

🕒 Local time

05:18 5:18 AM

06:48 6:48 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

203,636

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Birjand 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Birjand

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 Birjand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,619 in Budapest, $557 in Birjand – roughly 190% 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 $836 in Birjand. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 133% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $19.00 in Birjand. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Birjand, where all-in costs run around $557, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Birjand 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 $557 in Birjand 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 Birjand. 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.