Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Hulhumale

For one person, living is cheaper in Hulhumale: $1,450 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Budapest despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Hulhumale
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Hulhumale Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Hulhumale

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Hulhumale

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,450 in Hulhumale, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Hulhumale $1,450

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,606 in Hulhumale, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Hulhumale $2,606

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,762 in Hulhumale, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Hulhumale $3,762

Budapest costs about 12% more than Hulhumale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Hulhumale sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Hulhumale by 8%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$6.15 MVR 94.9

127.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$38.70 MVR 597

55.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$9.60 MVR 148

3.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 MVR 73.6

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 MVR 76.5

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$3.56 MVR 54.8

-5.06%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$1.61 MVR 24.81

32.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.31 MVR 4.83

503.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.60 MVR 24.63

-29.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.64 MVR 25.27

12.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$0.33 MVR 5.11

624.24%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$1.85 MVR 28.55

107.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$3.30 MVR 50.8

243.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$6.17 MVR 95.2

9.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$9.60 MVR 148

53.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$3.91 MVR 60.3

-52.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$3.08 MVR 47.48

-34.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.82 MVR 43.56

-16.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$2.71 MVR 41.71

39.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.22 MVR 18.88

-21.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.11 MVR 17.10

-7.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$2.12 MVR 32.72

-26.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.62 MVR 9.50

6.45%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.11 MVR 187

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 MVR 41.25

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 MVR 30.94

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$12.87 MVR 198

-38.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$1.89 MVR 29.12

74.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.91 MVR 29.39

-31.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$10.07 MVR 155

96.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.98 MVR 15.12

84.69%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$33.0K MVR 508.2K

-11.02%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$29.5K MVR 455.6K

15.43%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$102 MVR 1,568

67.13%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$30.38 MVR 469

-21.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$72.4 MVR 1,117

-67.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$9.82 MVR 151

-3.05%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$186 MVR 2,863

189.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$3,007 MVR 46.4K

452.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$38.95 MVR 601

160.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$50.3 MVR 775

-14.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$86.9 MVR 1,340

29.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$51.6 MVR 796

129.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$1,118 MVR 17.2K

-28.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$786 MVR 12.1K

-19.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$2,270 MVR 35.0K

-31.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$2,293 MVR 35.4K

-49.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$5,453 MVR 84.1K

3.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$506 MVR 7,802

684.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$710 MVR 10.9K

128.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

-54.07%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Hulhumale: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Hulhumale

$786 54.3% 25% $157

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Hulhumale

$195 13.5% 24.2% $62

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Hulhumale

$128 8.9% 42.8% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Hulhumale

$204 14.1% 5.9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Hulhumale

$102 7.1% 39.4% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Hulhumale

$20 * 1.4% 77% $66

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Hulhumale

$11 * 0.8% 73.7% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $1,118 in Hulhumale. 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 129% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $39.00 in Hulhumale. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $195 – making Hulhumale the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇻 Hulhumale

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

3 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

5,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.28 MVR (100 MVR = 5.79 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Hulhumale 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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 Hulhumale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,175 in Hulhumale. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hulhumale, 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 $60.0 in Budapest and $39.00 in Hulhumale. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hulhumale, where all-in costs run around $1,450, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Hulhumale it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hulhumale – 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 Hulhumale. 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.