Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Koura

For one person, living is cheaper in Koura: $1,235 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Koura
Learn more

Koura Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Koura

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Koura

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,235 in Koura, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Koura $1,235

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,937 in Koura, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Koura $1,937

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,638 in Koura, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Koura $2,638

Budapest costs about 31% more than Koura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Koura is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$11.95 LBP 1.1M

16.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$68.5 LBP 6.1M

-10.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$10.07 LBP 901.7K

1.19%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.49 LBP 402.1K

-27.39%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.31 LBP 206.9K

-7.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.91 LBP 81.4K

95.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$5.10 LBP 456.2K

-27.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.74 LBP 424.0K

-20.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.01 LBP 180.3K

-42.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.85 LBP 76.2K

110.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.35 LBP 210.3K

5.96%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.65 LBP 326.4K

6.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.91 LBP 976.2K

1.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$10.48 LBP 937.8K

-36.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.72 LBP 1.3M

-0.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.13 LBP 280.0K

-41.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.69 LBP 151.7K

21.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.62 LBP 144.6K

46.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.48 LBP 132.8K

163.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.19 LBP 106.8K

-16.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.61 LBP 143.8K

-37.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.21 LBP 108.1K

30.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.72 LBP 64.6K

-6.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.92 LBP 261.6K

172.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$11.17 LBP 999.9K

-44.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.28 LBP 114.8K

-0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.47 LBP 221.0K

-17.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.95 LBP 174.5K

-22.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.95 LBP 442.7K

-33.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.28 LBP 203.7K

-39.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$22.62 LBP 2.0M

-12.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.88 LBP 79.0K

106.82%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$54.4K LBP 4.9B

-45.20%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$32.8K LBP 2.9B

3.12%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$231 LBP 20.7M

-25.93%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$21.68 LBP 1.9M

8.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$38.07 LBP 3.4M

-38.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$25.26 LBP 2.3M

167.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$9.87 LBP 883.7K

91.39%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$10.08 LBP 902.5K

-7.74%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$687 LBP 61.5M

-22.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$10.5K LBP 942.7M

59.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$68.1 LBP 6.1M

46.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$48.89 LBP 4.4M

-11.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$139 LBP 12.5M

-20.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$122 LBP 10.9M

-2.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$252 LBP 22.5M

229.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$201 LBP 18.0M

209.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$443 LBP 39.7M

259.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$354 LBP 31.6M

230.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,134 LBP 101.5M

414.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$838 LBP 75.0M

364.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$606 LBP 54.3M

172.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-41.36%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Koura: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Koura

$201 16.3% 67.7% $421

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Koura

$276 22.3% 6.8% $18

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Koura

$228 18.4% 2.1% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Koura

$291 23.6% 33.4% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Koura

$170 13.8% 1.6% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Koura

$45 3.7% 47.2% $41

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Koura

$24 * 2% 45.5% $20

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 $252 in Koura. 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 172% 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 $69.0 in Koura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $276 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇧 Koura

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

06:16 6:16 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, 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).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Koura 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Koura

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 Koura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,853 in Koura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Koura, 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 $69.0 in Koura. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Koura, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Koura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Koura – 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 Koura. 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.