Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Manouba

For one person, living is cheaper in Manouba: $651 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Manouba
Learn more

Manouba Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Manouba

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$651

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Manouba

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $651 in Manouba, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Manouba $651

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,024 in Manouba, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Manouba $1,024

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,396 in Manouba, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Manouba $1,396

Budapest costs about 149% more than Manouba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Manouba is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.33 TND 9.97

318.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$19.92 TND 59.7

207.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.14 TND 18.38

65.96%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.11 TND 3.34

193.69%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.63 TND 1.88

239.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.27 TND 0.81

559.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.55 TND 4.64

139.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.36 TND 7.05

59.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.46 TND 1.38

150.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.22 TND 0.66

713.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.31 TND 3.92

90.08%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.55 TND 4.63

151.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.27 TND 30.75

8.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.45 TND 16.31

21.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$13.79 TND 41.32

6.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.84 TND 5.52

-0.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$3.16 TND 9.45

-35.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.08 TND 3.24

119.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.74 TND 2.21

427.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.77 TND 2.29

28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.61 TND 1.84

63.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.53 TND 1.60

198.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.34 TND 1.03

97.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.72 TND 11.15

113.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.74 TND 20.18

-7.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.19 TND 3.55

6.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.08 TND 3.22

87.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.32 TND 0.95

375.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$9.95 TND 29.81

181.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.30 TND 0.89

1003.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.33 TND 1.00

315.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$1.85 TND 5.54

971.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.89 TND 2.67

104.49%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$37.0K TND 110.7K

-19.38%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$35.0K TND 104.7K

-3.31%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$44.48 TND 133

284.71%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.22 TND 27.61

154.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$20.44 TND 61.2

13.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$26.56 TND 79.6

154.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$12.42 TND 37.19

52.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.31 TND 15.90

75.14%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$97.3 TND 291

448.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$2,444 TND 7,319

585.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$42.75 TND 128

133.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$36.55 TND 109

18.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$101 TND 303

9.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$67.8 TND 203

75.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$208 TND 624

298.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$155 TND 465

300.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$372 TND 1,115

328.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$268 TND 804

336.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$957 TND 2,866

509.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$619 TND 1,854

528.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

10.28

-37.26%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Manouba: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Manouba

$155 23.9% 75% $467

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Manouba

$185 28.4% 28.2% $73

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Manouba

$74 11.4% 66.6% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Manouba

$74 11.4% 66% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Manouba

$112 17.2% 33.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Manouba

$37 5.7% 56.8% $49

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Manouba

$13 2% 70.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $208 in Manouba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $20.00 in Manouba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $185 – making Manouba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇳 Manouba

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

00:39 12:39 AM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

58,792

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Manouba 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Budapest
Manouba

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 Manouba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 149%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $977 in Manouba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 182% less in Manouba. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $97.3 in Manouba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Manouba, where all-in costs run around $651, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Manouba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Manouba – 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 Manouba. 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.