Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Grand Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Grand Bay: $1,176 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Grand Bay
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Grand Bay Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Grand Bay

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$1,176

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Grand Bay

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $1,176 in Grand Bay, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Grand Bay $1,176

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $2,245 in Grand Bay, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Grand Bay $2,245

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $3,314 in Grand Bay, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Grand Bay $3,314

Budapest costs about 39% more than Grand Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Grand Bay is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,548

$5.90 MUR 278

134.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

$64.7 MUR 3,052

-4.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,345

$7.30 MUR 345

39.18%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,061

$2.59 MUR 122

24.32%

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

$2.06 Ft 679

$1.13 MUR 53.3

82.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 604

$0.67 MUR 31.39

173.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,187

$2.73 MUR 129

31.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,207

$4.77 MUR 225

-23.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.43 MUR 67.3

-16.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 616

$0.74 MUR 35.03

152.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 779

$1.16 MUR 54.5

104.31%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,304

$2.31 MUR 109

71.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,677

$20.96 MUR 989

-46.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,226

$6.27 MUR 296

7.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,727

$21.74 MUR 1,026

-33.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 595

$1.89 MUR 89.3

-4.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$1.97 MUR 93.0

7.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 769

$1.40 MUR 66.2

66.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,253

$2.86 MUR 135

32.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$1.00 MUR 47.28

-1.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$0.96 MUR 45.42

2.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 511

$0.69 MUR 32.55

124.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 229

$0.53 MUR 25.00

32.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,567

$6.41 MUR 303

21.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,993

$8.65 MUR 408

-30.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$1.64 MUR 77.2

-21.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 671

$1.98 MUR 93.4

3.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$1.05 MUR 49.44

47.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,987

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,086

$4.28 MUR 202

-22.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$2.45 MUR 115

-46.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,673

$21.15 MUR 998

-4.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 599

$1.36 MUR 64.0

33.82%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$34.9K MUR 1.6M

-17.72%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$37.6K MUR 1.8M

-12.11%

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

$172 Ft 56.7K

$45.94 MUR 2,168

274.79%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,890

$15.52 MUR 732

54.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,679

$29.26 MUR 1,381

-20.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$59.3 MUR 2,797

15.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,229

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,353

$6.40 MUR 302

59.06%

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

$600 Ft 197.8K

$126 MUR 5,941

376.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$7,744 MUR 365.4K

116.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$60.8 MUR 2,869

62.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

$64.0 MUR 3,020

-32.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$106 MUR 4,999

6.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$88.7 MUR 4,187

32.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.4K

$596 MUR 28.1K

40.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.7K

$439 MUR 20.7K

45.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

$2,038 MUR 96.2K

-21.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

$1,459 MUR 68.8K

-17.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

$1,281 MUR 60.5K

30.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

7.50%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Grand Bay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Grand Bay

$439 37.3% 31.4% $201

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Grand Bay

$280 23.8% 8.2% $21

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Grand Bay

$131 11.1% 40.8% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Grand Bay

$91 7.7% 58.7% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Grand Bay

$144 12.2% 14.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Grand Bay

$72 6.1% 19% $17

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Grand Bay

$21 * 1.8% 52.2% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $596 in Grand Bay. 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 30% 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 in Budapest versus $65 in Grand Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $280 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇺 Grand Bay

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

18:24 6:24 PM

3 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

11,900

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 47.19 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.52 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Grand Bay 8,440 km ≈ 11 h 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 Grand Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $1,764 in Grand Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Grand Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $596 there versus $836 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $65 in Grand Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Grand Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,176, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Grand Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Grand Bay – 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 Grand Bay. 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.