Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Homs

For one person, living is cheaper in Homs: $528 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Homs
🇸🇾 Syria
$528
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Homs

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $528 in Homs, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,619
  • Homs $528

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $795 in Homs, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,524
  • Homs $795

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,063 in Homs, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,429
  • Homs $1,063

Budapest costs about 207% more than Homs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Homs is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Homs
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.94 Ft 4,503
$3.03 SYP 368
360.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
$12.16 SYP 1,478
403.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.19 Ft 3,291
$6.92 SYP 840
47.25%
Cappuccino
$3.26 Ft 1,055
$0.62 SYP 75.0
425.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 Ft 690
$2.22 SYP 270
-3.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 Ft 577
$0.52 SYP 63.1
242.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.71 Ft 1,198
$1.98 SYP 240
87.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.77 Ft 1,217
$4.06 SYP 493
-7.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Homs
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 Ft 371
$0.81 SYP 97.9
41.98%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 Ft 578
$0.42 SYP 51.0
326.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 Ft 804
$1.50 SYP 183
66.00%
Eggs
$3.90 Ft 1,261
$1.57 SYP 190
148.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.10 Ft 3,587
$3.95 SYP 480
181.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 Ft 2,139
$5.77 SYP 701
14.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,745
$12.15 SYP 1,477
20.91%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 Ft 591
$0.60 SYP 73.3
205.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 Ft 661
$1.40 SYP 171
46.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.37 Ft 765
$0.58 SYP 70.2
308.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.90 Ft 1,260
$0.33 SYP 40.31
1081.82%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 Ft 320
$0.55 SYP 66.4
80.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.00 Ft 322
$0.79 SYP 96.5
26.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 Ft 511
$0.27 SYP 32.61
485.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 Ft 216
$0.66 SYP 80.1
1.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,572
$1.48 SYP 179
437.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.22 Ft 2,009
$3.77 SYP 459
64.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 Ft 411
$0.72 SYP 87.6
76.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 Ft 654
$2.94 SYP 357
-30.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Homs
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 Ft 490
$0.22 SYP 26.46
590.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.02 Ft 9,053
$15.07 SYP 1,831
85.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 Ft 1,070
$0.97 SYP 118
241.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 Ft 442
$1.52 SYP 185
-9.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.83 Ft 6,406
$1.98 SYP 241
901.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 Ft 589
$1.22 SYP 148
49.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
$13.2K SYP 1.6M
125.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
$18.8K SYP 2.3M
79.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Homs
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$171 Ft 55.3K
$93.3 SYP 11.3K
83.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.51 Ft 7,596
$9.52 SYP 1,157
146.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.29 Ft 7,526
$45.79 SYP 5,564
-49.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Homs
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
$10.04 SYP 1,220
572.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.89 Ft 6,104
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.30 Ft 3,004
$5.41 SYP 658
71.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Homs
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$533 Ft 172.3K
$53.8 SYP 6,543
890.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
$904 SYP 109.8K
1754.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Homs
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
$5.05 SYP 614
1872.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
$20.04 SYP 2,435
117.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 Ft 35.7K
$60.9 SYP 7,399
81.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.4K
$30.39 SYP 3,693
291.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Homs
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$830 Ft 268.3K
$123 SYP 14.9K
575.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 Ft 200.9K
$53.5 SYP 6,500
1062.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
$352 SYP 42.8K
352.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
$138 SYP 16.7K
749.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Homs
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
$72.3 SYP 8,790
2182.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.45
14.25
-54.74%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Homs: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$622
Homs
$53 91.4% $568
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Homs
$146 43.3% $112
Eating Out
Budapest
$223
Homs
$81 63.5% $142
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$218
Homs
$149 31.8% $69
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$168
Homs
$52 68.8% $115
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$86
Homs
$21 75.8% $65
Getting Around
Budapest
$44
Homs
$25 44.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $123 in Homs. 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 2183% 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 $12.00 in Homs. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $146 – making Homs the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇸🇾 Homs
🕒 Local time
19:59 7:59 PM
20:59 8:59 PM
1 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
652,609
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Homs 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Homs

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 Homs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Homs cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 207%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $791 in Homs. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Homs, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 86% less in Homs. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $53.8 in Homs. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Homs?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Homs, where all-in costs run around $528, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Homs it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Homs more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Homs – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Homs?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Homs. 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.

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