Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ebene

For one person, living is cheaper in Ebene: $690 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Ebene
Learn more

Ebene Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Ebene

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$690

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ebene

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $690 in Ebene, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Ebene $690

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,190 in Ebene, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Ebene $1,190

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,690 in Ebene, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Ebene $1,690

Budapest costs about 138% more than Ebene, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Ebene is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$5.62 MUR 265

149.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$32.16 MUR 1,514

89.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$6.34 MUR 298

63.56%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.62 MUR 123

32.06%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.88 MUR 41.45

135.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.50 MUR 23.72

254.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.78 MUR 83.6

107.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$2.49 MUR 117

52.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.49 MUR 70.2

-22.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.72 MUR 33.68

156.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.10 MUR 51.9

118.18%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$2.21 MUR 104

80.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$8.37 MUR 394

36.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$6.35 MUR 299

8.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$10.50 MUR 494

38.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.76 MUR 83.0

6.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.23 MUR 57.7

73.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.39 MUR 65.5

65.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.53 MUR 119

59.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.92 MUR 43.21

10.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.98 MUR 46.29

1.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.74 MUR 34.91

113.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.55 MUR 26.08

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$5.56 MUR 262

44.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$8.21 MUR 387

-24.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.63 MUR 76.8

-23.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$2.59 MUR 122

-20.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.86 MUR 40.63

84.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$4.23 MUR 199

-18.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$3.10 MUR 146

-57.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$21.46 MUR 1,010

-4.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.39 MUR 65.7

38.85%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$36.9K MUR 1.7M

-21.00%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$30.9K MUR 1.5M

12.48%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$44.08 MUR 2,075

296.08%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$10.45 MUR 492

126.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$29.22 MUR 1,376

-19.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$28.87 MUR 1,359

138.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$6.50 MUR 306

196.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$5.94 MUR 280

73.57%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$129 MUR 6,053

316.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$7,679 MUR 361.5K

119.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$43.42 MUR 2,044

129.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$41.49 MUR 1,953

4.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$48.24 MUR 2,271

131.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$46.55 MUR 2,191

155.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$256 MUR 12.0K

225.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$144 MUR 6,803

335.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$575 MUR 27.1K

175.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$423 MUR 19.9K

182.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$1,174 MUR 55.3K

45.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.67

-3.30%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ebene: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Ebene

$144 20.9% 77% $485

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Ebene

$202 29.3% 22.8% $60

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Ebene

$115 16.6% 49.3% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Ebene

$84 12.1% 62.2% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Ebene

$81 11.7% 51.9% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Ebene

$41 5.9% 54.5% $49

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ebene

$23 * 3.4% 47.3% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $256 in Ebene. 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 46% 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 $32.00 in Ebene. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $202 – making Ebene the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇺 Ebene

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

20:49 8:49 PM

2 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,001

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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Between locations

Budapest Ebene 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Ebene

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 Ebene: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 138%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,035 in Ebene. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ebene, 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 $32.00 in Ebene. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ebene, where all-in costs run around $690, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Ebene it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ebene – 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 Ebene. 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.