Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Mandalgovi

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandalgovi: $634 a month against $1,621 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 Mandalgovi
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Mandalgovi Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Mandalgovi

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Mandalgovi

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $634 in Mandalgovi, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Mandalgovi $634

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,056 in Mandalgovi, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Mandalgovi $1,056

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,477 in Mandalgovi, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Mandalgovi $1,477

Budapest costs about 156% more than Mandalgovi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Mandalgovi is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$5.72 MNT 20.5K

144.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$31.77 MNT 114.2K

89.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$5.70 MNT 20.5K

74.74%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.49 MNT 8,944

35.74%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.88 MNT 3,168

142.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.62 MNT 2,217

201.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.33 MNT 8,362

60.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.35 MNT 12.0K

6.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.46 MNT 5,236

-22.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$0.98 MNT 3,507

87.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.09 MNT 7,518

14.35%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.05 MNT 7,379

86.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$12.58 MNT 45.2K

-9.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$4.82 MNT 17.3K

39.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$7.38 MNT 26.5K

99.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$3.15 MNT 11.3K

-41.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$2.38 MNT 8,555

-15.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$3.82 MNT 13.7K

-38.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$3.04 MNT 10.9K

24.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.75 MNT 2,684

28.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.08 MNT 3,878

-4.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.74 MNT 6,269

-10.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.77 MNT 2,767

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$1.69 MNT 6,081

371.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$10.27 MNT 36.9K

-41.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.50 MNT 5,403

-13.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$1.80 MNT 6,470

15.56%

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

$0.52 MNT 1,863

534.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.55 MNT 1,960

136.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$6.30 MNT 22.6K

213.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.06 MNT 3,812

70.75%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$26.6K MNT 95.6M

10.19%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$34.8K MNT 125.2M

-2.10%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$69.9 MNT 251.1K

143.15%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$7.74 MNT 27.8K

209.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$13.71 MNT 49.3K

70.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$4.10 MNT 14.7K

132.20%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$809 MNT 2.9M

-33.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$8,442 MNT 30.3M

96.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$83.4 MNT 299.7K

21.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$44.82 MNT 161.0K

-4.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$105 MNT 377.5K

7.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$191 MNT 685.9K

-37.80%

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

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

10.32

-37.69%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mandalgovi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Mandalgovi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Mandalgovi

$238 36.7% 7.7% $20

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Mandalgovi

$117 18.1% 47.8% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Mandalgovi

$91 14.1% 58% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Mandalgovi

$191 29.4% 12.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Mandalgovi

$8.2 * 1.3% 90.4% $77

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Mandalgovi

$3.3 * 0.5% 92.5% $40

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 $32.00 in Mandalgovi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $238 – making Mandalgovi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇳 Mandalgovi

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

15:31 3:31 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

10,888

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, 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).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,030 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Mandalgovi 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Budapest
Mandalgovi

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 Mandalgovi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 156%, 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 $951 in Mandalgovi. 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 $32.00 in Mandalgovi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mandalgovi, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Mandalgovi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mandalgovi – 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 Mandalgovi. 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.