Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Damascus

For one person, living is cheaper in Damascus: $871 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Damascus
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Damascus Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Damascus

🇸🇾 Syria

$871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Damascus

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $871 in Damascus, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Damascus $871

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,395 in Damascus, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Damascus $1,395

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,920 in Damascus, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Damascus $1,920

Budapest costs about 86% more than Damascus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Damascus is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$9.87 SYP 1,200

41.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$42.24 SYP 5,133

42.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$6.83 SYP 830

45.83%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$3.75 SYP 456

-9.87%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$2.30 SYP 279

-7.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.89 SYP 108

110.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$1.98 SYP 241

89.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.88 SYP 472

-7.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.08 SYP 132

4.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$0.42 SYP 50.9

338.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.52 SYP 184

57.24%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$1.63 SYP 198

134.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$3.93 SYP 478

188.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$5.84 SYP 709

15.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$13.84 SYP 1,682

6.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$1.03 SYP 125

78.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.41 SYP 171

42.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.10 SYP 134

114.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.06 SYP 129

255.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.74 SYP 90.0

29.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$0.79 SYP 96.4

30.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.41 SYP 49.31

280.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.63 SYP 76.0

4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$2.81 SYP 341

183.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$5.98 SYP 727

0.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.10 SYP 134

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.85 SYP 346

-27.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.23 SYP 28.03

552.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$9.93 SYP 1,206

178.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$1.03 SYP 125

220.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.53 SYP 186

-15.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$7.59 SYP 923

160.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$3.61 SYP 439

-49.86%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

94.77%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$19.5K SYP 2.4M

75.32%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$139 SYP 16.9K

22.40%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$9.84 SYP 1,196

143.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$45.66 SYP 5,548

-48.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$28.55 SYP 3,470

132.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$8.47 SYP 1,029

126.45%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$5.64 SYP 685

68.79%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$67.7 SYP 8,221

693.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$1,816 SYP 220.7K

814.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$28.35 SYP 3,445

257.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$39.84 SYP 4,841

7.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$59.5 SYP 7,224

89.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$57.2 SYP 6,955

107.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$526 SYP 63.9K

53.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$186 SYP 22.6K

238.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$840 SYP 102.1K

84.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$469 SYP 56.9K

149.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,742 SYP 211.7K

222.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$607 SYP 73.8K

553.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$73.4 SYP 8,916

2115.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

14.25

-54.88%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Damascus: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Damascus

$186 21.4% 70.5% $443

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Damascus

$170 19.6% 34.2% $88

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Damascus

$175 20.2% 22% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Damascus

$194 22.4% 10.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Damascus

$83 9.6% 50.8% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Damascus

$40 4.6% 53.3% $45

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Damascus

$20 2.3% 55% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $526 in Damascus. 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 2116% 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 $42.00 in Damascus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $170 – making Damascus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇸🇾 Damascus

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

09:00 9:00 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,414,913 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.34 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Damascus 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Damascus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 86%, 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 $1,306 in Damascus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 178% less in Damascus. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $67.7 in Damascus. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Damascus, where all-in costs run around $871, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Damascus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Damascus – 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 Damascus. 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.