Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Malindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Malindi: $502 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Malindi
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Malindi Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Malindi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Malindi

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $502 in Malindi, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Malindi $502

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $787 in Malindi, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Malindi $787

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,072 in Malindi, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Malindi $1,072

Budapest costs about 223% more than Malindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Malindi is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$2.06 KES 267

579.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$23.42 KES 3,038

157.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$10.55 KES 1,369

-5.59%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$3.58 KES 465

-5.59%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.98 KES 128

117.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.42 KES 54.1

345.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.32 KES 301

61.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.24 KES 420

10.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$0.94 KES 122

20.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$0.53 KES 68.5

247.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.22 KES 158

95.90%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$1.82 KES 236

110.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$11.22 KES 1,455

0.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$5.57 KES 723

21.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$5.03 KES 652

192.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$2.18 KES 283

-15.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$0.79 KES 102

154.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.82 KES 236

29.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$0.70 KES 90.7

438.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.66 KES 85.6

45.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$0.66 KES 85.5

56.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.57 KES 73.5

173.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.43 KES 55.4

53.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$4.71 KES 611

69.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$7.82 KES 1,014

-23.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$2.02 KES 262

-35.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.87 KES 372

-27.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$3.09 KES 401

6.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.76 KES 228

-26.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$4.61 KES 598

329.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.38 KES 179

31.16%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$11.9K KES 1.5M

146.93%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$11.9K KES 1.5M

187.49%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$55.5 KES 7,192

206.47%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$12.96 KES 1,681

85.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$30.24 KES 3,922

-22.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$38.98 KES 5,055

69.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$10.71 KES 1,389

-11.11%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$85.2 KES 11.1K

529.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$5,401 KES 700.5K

207.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$13.30 KES 1,725

661.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$13.46 KES 1,746

219.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$22.81 KES 2,959

394.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$46.96 KES 6,091

152.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$393 KES 50.9K

294.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

-50.54%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Malindi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Malindi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Malindi

$172 34.3% 33.2% $86

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Malindi

$115 22.9% 48.8% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Malindi

$99 19.7% 54.6% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Malindi

$43 8.7% 74.3% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Malindi

$60 12.1% 29.2% $25

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Malindi

$12 * 2.4% 72.7% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $23.00 in Malindi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $172 – making Malindi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇪 Malindi

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

117,735

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Malindi 6,000 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Malindi

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 Malindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 223%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $754 in Malindi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest and $23.00 in Malindi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Malindi, where all-in costs run around $502, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Malindi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Malindi – 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 Malindi. 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.