Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and the Maldives
For one person, living is cheaper in the Maldives: $1,501 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Budapest despite lower rent and utilities.
-
Budapest Living Index79Cost of Living Index in BudapestLearn more -
Maldives Living Index72Cost of Living Index in the MaldivesLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: Budapest is 19.6% more expensive than the Maldives without rent, and 8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Budapest is 24.7% more expensive than the Maldives without rent, and 6.4% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Maldives
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.99 Ft 4,555
$6.54 MVR 101
113.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.3 Ft 19.7K
$49.62 MVR 765
21.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 Ft 3,244
$10.00 MVR 154
-0.40%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.97 MVR 76.6
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$9.82 MVR 151
-
Cappuccino
$3.38 Ft 1,102
$3.27 MVR 50.4
3.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 Ft 693
$1.51 MVR 23.32
41.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 Ft 609
$0.31 MVR 4.81
503.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 Ft 1,222
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 Ft 1,163
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Maldives
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 Ft 369
$1.88 MVR 29.01
-39.89%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 Ft 600
$1.56 MVR 24.10
17.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 Ft 777
$1.04 MVR 16.04
129.81%
Eggs
$3.83 Ft 1,246
$1.75 MVR 27.04
118.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 Ft 3,689
$6.18 MVR 95.4
83.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.74 Ft 2,194
$6.75 MVR 104
-0.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,784
$10.03 MVR 155
46.46%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 Ft 598
$3.98 MVR 61.3
-53.77%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 Ft 654
$2.99 MVR 46.12
-32.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 Ft 767
$3.88 MVR 59.8
-39.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 Ft 1,227
$2.56 MVR 39.48
47.27%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 Ft 314
$1.75 MVR 26.93
-45.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 Ft 335
$1.75 MVR 26.99
-41.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 Ft 509
$2.23 MVR 34.38
-30.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 Ft 216
$0.60 MVR 9.25
10.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$11.14 MVR 172
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.53 MVR 39.01
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.61 MVR 71.1
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,594
$15.06 MVR 232
-47.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 Ft 1,956
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 Ft 422
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 Ft 677
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Maldives
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 Ft 490
$0.68 MVR 10.51
120.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.61 Ft 8,991
$28.89 MVR 446
-4.43%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.30 Ft 1,075
$1.89 MVR 29.15
74.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 Ft 424
$1.95 MVR 30.12
-33.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.78 Ft 6,442
$8.02 MVR 124
146.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 Ft 591
$0.99 MVR 15.19
82.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K Ft 9.6M
$31.7K MVR 489.3K
-7.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
$29.9K MVR 460.5K
14.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Maldives
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 Ft 55.3K
$132 MVR 2,038
28.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.98 Ft 7,809
$30.76 MVR 474
-22.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.42 Ft 7,628
$68.3 MVR 1,052
-65.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Maldives
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
$63.4 MVR 978
4.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 Ft 6,245
$21.44 MVR 331
-10.54%
Cinema Ticket
$9.52 Ft 3,101
$9.03 MVR 139
5.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Maldives
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$537 Ft 174.8K
$183 MVR 2,826
192.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
$2,922 MVR 45.1K
468.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Maldives
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 Ft 33.0K
$37.67 MVR 581
169.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
$50.1 MVR 772
-14.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 Ft 36.7K
$86.1 MVR 1,327
31.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.7K
$51.9 MVR 800
128.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Maldives
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 Ft 262.2K
$911 MVR 14.0K
-11.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 204.9K
$672 MVR 10.4K
-6.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 Ft 504.6K
$1,927 MVR 29.7K
-19.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,167 Ft 380.1K
$1,467 MVR 22.6K
-20.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
$2,641 MVR 40.7K
112.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
$781 MVR 12.0K
407.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Maldives
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,626 Ft 529.5K
$783 MVR 12.1K
107.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
14
-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 the Maldives: October 5, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest $629 38.7%
Maldives $672 45.5% 6.8% $43
Groceries & Markets
Budapest $258 15.8%
Maldives $219 14.8% 15% $39
Eating Out
Budapest $224 13.8%
Maldives $129 8.7% 42.5% $95
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest $217 13.4%
Maldives $231 15.7% 6.4% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest $169 10.4%
Maldives $102 6.9% 39.9% $68
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest $85 5.2%
Maldives $81 5.5% 4.5% $3.8
Getting Around
Budapest $43 2.7%
Maldives $43 2.9% 0.4% $0.2
Accommodation & Living
Budapest $1.2K 34.1%
Maldives $1.5K 44.9% 25.7% $300
Groceries & Markets
Budapest $607 17.7%
Maldives $537 16.4% 11.7% $71
Eating Out
Budapest $753 22%
Maldives $505 15.5% 32.9% $247
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest $241 7.1%
Maldives $262 8% 8.5% $21
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest $376 11%
Maldives $226 6.9% 39.9% $150
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest $190 5.5%
Maldives $184 5.6% 2.8% $5.3
Getting Around
Budapest $90 2.6%
Maldives $88 2.7% 2.2% $2
Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇲🇻 Maldives
Weather
Population
1,686,222 Capital
436,330
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Budapest Maldives 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
- Budapest
- Maldives
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 other spots: cost of living compared
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$855
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Krakow
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,811
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Prague
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
$2,097
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Debrecen
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,358
/mo nomad
Similar cities
🇲🇽 Mexico
77
Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
77
Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more
Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
81
Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
76
Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
78
Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more
Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
76
Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more
Canggu, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
79
Cost of Living Index in Canggu, Bali
Learn more
Seminyak, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
78
Cost of Living Index in Seminyak, Bali
Learn more