Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kairouan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kairouan: $634 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Kairouan
Learn more

Kairouan Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Kairouan

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kairouan

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $634 in Kairouan, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Kairouan $634

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $975 in Kairouan, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Kairouan $975

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,316 in Kairouan, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Kairouan $1,316

Budapest costs about 155% more than Kairouan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Kairouan is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.66 TND 7.96

424.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$15.64 TND 46.83

291.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.17 TND 18.49

65.15%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$0.96 TND 2.87

239.58%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.80 TND 2.39

167.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.40 TND 1.20

345.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.71 TND 5.11

116.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.64 TND 7.92

42.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.45 TND 1.36

155.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.07 TND 0.22

2457.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.75 TND 5.25

42.29%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.49 TND 4.45

161.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.01 TND 29.97

10.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.42 TND 16.22

22.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.92 TND 35.70

23.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.19 TND 6.57

-16.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.28 TND 6.82

-10.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.13 TND 3.38

109.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.77 TND 2.30

406.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.65 TND 1.94

52.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.62 TND 1.86

61.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.53 TND 1.57

198.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.26 TND 0.78

157.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.34 TND 10.00

138.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.85 TND 20.52

-9.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.28 TND 3.84

-0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.55 TND 4.63

30.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.32 TND 0.95

375.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$9.94 TND 29.77

181.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.29 TND 0.86

1041.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.34 TND 1.00

302.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$1.76 TND 5.27

1026.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.80 TND 2.39

127.50%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$39.1K TND 117.1K

-23.79%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$36.1K TND 108.3K

-6.46%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$60.0 TND 180

185.34%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.27 TND 27.77

153.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$20.01 TND 59.9

16.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$23.03 TND 69.0

193.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$12.53 TND 37.53

50.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.59 TND 13.75

102.61%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$106 TND 317

404.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$3,221 TND 9,647

420.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$23.58 TND 70.6

322.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$61.1 TND 183

-28.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$46.83 TND 140

135.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$87.5 TND 262

35.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$116 TND 347

617.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$155 TND 463

302.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$372 TND 1,115

328.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$271 TND 812

331.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$953 TND 2,855

511.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$609 TND 1,825

538.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$320 TND 959

415.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

10.28

-37.26%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kairouan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Kairouan

$155 24.4% 75.1% $467

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Kairouan

$176 27.7% 31.9% $82

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Kairouan

$70 11% 68.7% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Kairouan

$89 14.1% 59% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Kairouan

$99 15.6% 41.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Kairouan

$32 5.1% 62.6% $54

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kairouan

$13 2.1% 70.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $116 in Kairouan. 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 415% 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 $16.00 in Kairouan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $176 – making Kairouan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇳 Kairouan

🕒 Local time

06:11 6:11 AM

05:11 5:11 AM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

139,070

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Kairouan 1,510 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Budapest
Kairouan

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 Kairouan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 155%, 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 $950 in Kairouan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kairouan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 182% less in Kairouan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $106 in Kairouan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kairouan, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kairouan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kairouan – 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 Kairouan. 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.