Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Iskenderun

For one person, living is cheaper in Iskenderun: $1,000 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Iskenderun
Learn more

Iskenderun Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Iskenderun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Iskenderun

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,000 in Iskenderun, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Iskenderun $1,000

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,507 in Iskenderun, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Iskenderun $1,507

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,013 in Iskenderun, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Iskenderun $2,013

Budapest costs about 62% more than Iskenderun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Iskenderun is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.10 ₺302

128.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$30.52 ₺1,511

100.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.42 ₺318

58.72%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.12 ₺154

4.49%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.14 ₺56.3

87.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.26 ₺12.80

584.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.39 ₺118

55.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.70 ₺134

39.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.00 ₺49.26

15.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.79 ₺39.03

126.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.73 ₺85.8

43.93%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.81 ₺89.6

115.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.41 ₺367

49.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.04 ₺200

63.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$17.50 ₺867

-16.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.66 ₺82.3

10.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.87 ₺92.7

9.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$0.86 ₺42.59

175.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.03 ₺50.9

278.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.46 ₺22.79

115.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.40 ₺20.03

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.87 ₺43.26

81.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.61 ₺30.30

9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.19 ₺108

263.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$10.26 ₺508

-39.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.34 ₺116

-45.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.22 ₺159

-36.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.75 ₺37.14

102.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.99 ₺48.87

234.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.49 ₺24.24

179.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$10.25 ₺507

93.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.30 ₺64.5

40.00%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$43.3K ₺2.1M

-31.10%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$39.2K ₺1.9M

-13.74%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$91.4 ₺4,524

87.28%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.46 ₺468

148.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$10.99 ₺544

111.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$57.5 ₺2,848

17.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.00 ₺297

55.00%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$448 ₺22.2K

18.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$7,099 ₺351.4K

136.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$54.1 ₺2,679

84.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$29.69 ₺1,470

46.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$114 ₺5,641

-3.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$108 ₺5,326

10.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$477 ₺23.6K

73.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$340 ₺16.8K

82.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$818 ₺40.5K

94.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$553 ₺27.4K

111.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,588 ₺78.6K

267.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,026 ₺50.8K

279.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,117 ₺55.3K

47.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-81.57%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Iskenderun: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Iskenderun

$340 34% 45.3% $282

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Iskenderun

$207 20.7% 19.8% $51

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Iskenderun

$128 12.8% 42.4% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Iskenderun

$112 11.2% 48.7% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Iskenderun

$137 13.7% 18% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Iskenderun

$70 7% 19.3% $17

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Iskenderun

$6.4 * 0.6% 85.4% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $477 in Iskenderun. 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 48% 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 $31.00 in Iskenderun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $207 – making Iskenderun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇷 Iskenderun

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

21:47 9:47 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

246,639

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Iskenderun 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Iskenderun

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 Iskenderun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,501 in Iskenderun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iskenderun, 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 $61.0 in Budapest and $31.00 in Iskenderun. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Iskenderun, where all-in costs run around $1,000, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Iskenderun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iskenderun – 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 Iskenderun. 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.