Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Male

For one person, living is cheaper in Male: $1,524 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Budapest despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Male
Learn more

Male Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Male

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,524 in Male, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Male $1,524

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,454 in Male, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Male $2,454

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,385 in Male, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Male $3,385

Budapest costs about 6% more than Male, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Male sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Male by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$5.86 MVR 90.3

138.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$38.10 MVR 587

58.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$9.73 MVR 150

2.36%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.73 MVR 72.9

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 MVR 73.7

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$3.49 MVR 53.8

-3.15%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$1.63 MVR 25.14

30.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.31 MVR 4.80

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

$1.98 MVR 30.50

-42.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.60 MVR 24.74

15.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.21 MVR 18.59

97.52%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$1.94 MVR 29.89

97.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$10.48 MVR 162

8.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$6.01 MVR 92.7

12.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$9.67 MVR 149

51.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$4.05 MVR 62.5

-54.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$3.13 MVR 48.26

-35.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$3.98 MVR 61.4

-40.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$2.66 MVR 41.00

41.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$2.02 MVR 31.10

-52.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.88 MVR 28.95

-45.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$2.12 MVR 32.75

-26.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.61 MVR 9.47

8.20%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.24 MVR 189

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 MVR 41.39

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 MVR 29.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$15.01 MVR 231

-46.97%

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

$0.63 MVR 9.74

138.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$30.22 MVR 466

-8.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$1.98 MVR 30.56

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.90 MVR 29.35

-31.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$10.18 MVR 157

94.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.99 MVR 15.24

82.83%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$32.9K MVR 506.6K

-10.74%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$28.8K MVR 443.6K

18.57%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$117 MVR 1,808

44.95%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$30.56 MVR 471

-21.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$71.8 MVR 1,107

-67.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$72.0 MVR 1,110

-7.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$34.45 MVR 531

-44.33%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$9.90 MVR 153

-3.84%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$185 MVR 2,860

189.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$3,048 MVR 47.0K

444.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$39.25 MVR 605

158.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$49.98 MVR 771

-13.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$85.8 MVR 1,323

31.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$51.5 MVR 794

130.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$948 MVR 14.6K

-15.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$709 MVR 10.9K

-11.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$2,035 MVR 31.4K

-23.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$1,524 MVR 23.5K

-23.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,282 MVR 35.2K

146.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,391 MVR 21.5K

185.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$837 MVR 12.9K

94.31%

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 Male: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Male

$709 46.5% 12.8% $80

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Male

$233 15.3% 9.6% $25

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Male

$126 8.2% 44% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Male

$220 14.4% 1% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Male

$102 6.7% 39.7% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Male

$92 6% 7.6% $6.5

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Male

$44 2.9% 1.9% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $948 in Male. 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 94% 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 $38.00 in Male. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $233 – making Male the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇻 Male

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

12:18 12:18 PM

3 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

103,693 Capital

💱 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 = 5.78 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 = 17.29 MVR (100 MVR = 5.78 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Male 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Male

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 Male: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 6%, 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 $2,285 in Male. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 9% less in Male. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $185 in Male. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Male, where all-in costs run around $1,524, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Male it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Male – 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 Male. 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.