Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Butare

For one person, living is cheaper in Butare: $371 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Butare
Learn more

Butare Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Butare

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Butare

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $371 in Butare, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Butare $371

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $594 in Butare, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Butare $594

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $816 in Butare, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Butare $816

Budapest costs about 343% more than Butare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Butare is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$2.99 RWF 4,402

355.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$30.93 RWF 45.5K

96.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$6.73 RWF 9,910

48.89%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$2.37 RWF 3,489

40.51%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$0.71 RWF 1,045

198.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.56 RWF 818

221.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$1.03 RWF 1,512

250.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$2.38 RWF 3,510

50.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$0.33 RWF 481

239.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.83 RWF 1,221

132.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$0.94 RWF 1,383

164.89%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$1.58 RWF 2,323

149.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$1.72 RWF 2,532

555.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$2.43 RWF 3,581

176.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$3.02 RWF 4,444

378.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$2.02 RWF 2,972

-7.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$0.80 RWF 1,176

155.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$1.12 RWF 1,645

104.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$0.84 RWF 1,241

375.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$0.42 RWF 624

123.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$0.28 RWF 416

264.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$0.14 RWF 204

1078.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.77 RWF 1,129

-11.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,533

$1.98 RWF 2,907

294.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$10.33 RWF 15.2K

-41.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.04 RWF 1,525

24.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$1.53 RWF 2,258

32.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 485

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,792

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,088

$2.75 RWF 4,046

22.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$2.05 RWF 3,011

-33.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$3.63 RWF 5,345

449.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.95 RWF 2,864

-4.62%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$25.5K RWF 37.6M

11.64%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$29.6K RWF 43.5M

12.91%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$83.5 RWF 122.9K

113.30%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$6.86 RWF 10.1K

243.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$21.31 RWF 31.4K

13.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,520

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,397

$3.36 RWF 4,938

211.90%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$115 RWF 168.6K

445.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$16.4K RWF 24.1M

19.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$17.58 RWF 25.9K

480.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$15.86 RWF 23.3K

173.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$22.49 RWF 33.1K

388.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$33.97 RWF 50.0K

255.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 274.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 521.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 394.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 559.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

16.2

-60.86%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Butare: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Butare

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Butare

$112 30.2% 56.9% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Butare

$112 30.1% 50.5% $114

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Butare

$88 23.6% 60.2% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Butare

$40 10.9% 76.1% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Butare

$6.7 * 1.8% 92.6% $84

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Butare

$13 * 3.5% 70.1% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $31 in Butare. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $112 – making Butare the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇼 Butare

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

06:45 6:45 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

62,823

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.79 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,472 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.79 USD). 1 EUR = 1,652 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Butare 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Butare

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 Butare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 343%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $557 in Butare. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $31 in Butare. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 132% more in Budapest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Butare, where all-in costs run around $371, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Butare 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 $371 in Butare to $1,647 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.