Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Gisenyi

For one person, living is cheaper in Gisenyi: $450 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Gisenyi
Learn more

Gisenyi Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Gisenyi

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Gisenyi

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $450 in Gisenyi, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Gisenyi $450

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $691 in Gisenyi, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Gisenyi $691

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $932 in Gisenyi, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Gisenyi $932

Budapest costs about 266% more than Gisenyi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Gisenyi is 67% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$3.06 RWF 4,506

345.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$14.93 RWF 22.0K

306.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$6.12 RWF 9,006

63.73%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$2.38 RWF 3,501

39.92%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$0.72 RWF 1,060

194.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.55 RWF 816

227.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$0.98 RWF 1,445

268.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$2.02 RWF 2,975

77.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$0.87 RWF 1,274

28.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.03 RWF 1,514

87.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$1.30 RWF 1,909

91.54%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$1.61 RWF 2,367

144.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$3.89 RWF 5,719

189.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$4.43 RWF 6,515

51.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$4.81 RWF 7,080

200.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$2.43 RWF 3,571

-23.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$0.76 RWF 1,112

168.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$1.48 RWF 2,176

54.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$1.03 RWF 1,520

287.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$0.47 RWF 686

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$0.76 RWF 1,117

34.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$0.29 RWF 423

468.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.84 RWF 1,236

-19.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,533

$1.98 RWF 2,919

294.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$10.02 RWF 14.7K

-39.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.03 RWF 1,521

25.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$1.52 RWF 2,244

32.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 485

$0.09 RWF 137

1566.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,792

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,088

$2.66 RWF 3,920

26.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$2.04 RWF 3,008

-32.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$3.82 RWF 5,618

422.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.89 RWF 2,788

-1.59%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$26.1K RWF 38.4M

9.31%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$29.1K RWF 42.9M

14.55%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$82.5 RWF 121.3K

116.09%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$2.92 RWF 4,295

707.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$20.84 RWF 30.7K

15.74%

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

$3.32 RWF 4,888

215.66%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$112 RWF 165.5K

455.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$16.0K RWF 23.6M

22.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$17.11 RWF 25.2K

496.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$15.25 RWF 22.4K

184.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$22.24 RWF 32.7K

393.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$34.27 RWF 50.4K

252.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 274.0K

$293 RWF 431.7K

188.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.9K

$49.87 RWF 73.4K

1180.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 521.5K

$305 RWF 448.3K

428.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 394.5K

$119 RWF 174.8K

924.52%

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 Gisenyi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Gisenyi

$50 11.1% 92.2% $589

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Gisenyi

$149 33.1% 42.7% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Gisenyi

$106 23.6% 53% $120

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Gisenyi

$85 19% 61.1% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Gisenyi

$40 8.9% 76.4% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Gisenyi

$6.6 * 1.5% 92.7% $84

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Gisenyi

$13 * 2.9% 69.4% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $293 in Gisenyi. 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 in Budapest versus $15 in Gisenyi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $149 – making Gisenyi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇼 Gisenyi

🕒 Local time

14:14 2:14 PM

15:14 3:14 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

172,357

💱 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 = 1,653 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Gisenyi 5,560 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Gisenyi

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 Gisenyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 266%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $676 in Gisenyi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gisenyi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $293 there versus $845 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $15 in Gisenyi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% more in Budapest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Gisenyi, where all-in costs run around $450, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Gisenyi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gisenyi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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