Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Hawassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $834 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Hawassa

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $834 in Hawassa, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Hawassa $834

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,199 in Hawassa, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Hawassa $1,199

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,564 in Hawassa, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Hawassa $1,564

Budapest costs about 94% more than Hawassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Hawassa is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.90 ETB 625

257.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$42.11 ETB 6,758

45.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.56 ETB 1,054

55.34%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$0.95 ETB 153

243.16%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.63 ETB 102

239.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.69 ETB 110

157.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.83 ETB 133

346.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.30 ETB 370

63.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.07 ETB 172

7.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.17 ETB 188

52.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.01 ETB 163

146.53%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.58 ETB 253

146.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.40 ETB 1,188

50.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$10.07 ETB 1,616

-34.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.09 ETB 1,458

61.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$5.35 ETB 859

-65.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$0.68 ETB 109

201.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.13 ETB 341

11.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.66 ETB 106

490.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.50 ETB 80.5

98.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.06 ETB 169

-5.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.69 ETB 110

128.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.57 ETB 91.3

17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$8.18 ETB 1,312

-2.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.55 ETB 891

12.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.66 ETB 106

92.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.28 ETB 206

58.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.31 ETB 210

152.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.27 ETB 42.86

407.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$2.03 ETB 326

876.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.92 ETB 147

97.83%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$54.6K ETB 8.8M

-45.43%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$56.4K ETB 9.0M

-40.02%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$202 ETB 32.5K

-15.36%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$7.21 ETB 1,158

226.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$213 ETB 34.2K

-89.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$3.84 ETB 616

142.19%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$136 ETB 21.9K

291.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$30.2K ETB 4.9M

-44.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$33.37 ETB 5,356

198.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$70.7 ETB 11.3K

-38.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$78.6 ETB 12.6K

40.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$83.6 ETB 13.4K

42.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$494 ETB 79.3K

687.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

18.5

-65.14%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hawassa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Hawassa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Hawassa

$205 24.6% 20.4% $53

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Hawassa

$76 9.2% 65.8% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Hawassa

$423 50.6% 93.9% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Hawassa

$120 14.4% 28.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Hawassa

$7.7 * 0.9% 91.1% $78

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Hawassa

$2.6 * 0.3% 94% $42

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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $42.00 in Hawassa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $205 – making Hawassa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

08:37 8:37 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

160,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Hawassa 4,860 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Hawassa

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 Hawassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 94%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,252 in Hawassa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $42.00 in Hawassa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hawassa, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Hawassa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hawassa – 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 Hawassa. 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.