Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Mardan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mardan: $492 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Mardan
Learn more

Mardan Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Mardan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$492

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Mardan

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $492 in Mardan, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Mardan $492

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $768 in Mardan, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Mardan $768

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,045 in Mardan, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Mardan $1,045

Budapest costs about 229% more than Mardan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Mardan is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.54 PKR 980

293.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$23.75 PKR 6,572

157.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.44 PKR 1,506

87.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 PKR 1,023

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 PKR 1,885

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.72 PKR 753

19.85%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.32 PKR 89.6

568.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.23 PKR 63.8

673.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.91 PKR 252

26.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.72 PKR 199

148.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.28 PKR 354

94.53%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.16 PKR 320

236.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$2.82 PKR 781

293.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.14 PKR 870

110.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$3.89 PKR 1,076

277.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$0.93 PKR 258

96.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$0.71 PKR 196

188.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.07 PKR 296

121.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.38 PKR 104

926.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.27 PKR 73.8

266.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.36 PKR 99.1

177.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.28 PKR 77.1

464.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.37 PKR 103

81.08%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.79 PKR 495

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 332

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 PKR 651

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$1.83 PKR 507

334.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.16 PKR 43.24

850.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$10.19 PKR 2,821

174.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.25 PKR 346

164.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.69 PKR 192

98.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$1.58 PKR 436

1155.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.06 PKR 292

71.70%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.8K PKR 6.0M

36.91%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.6K PKR 6.8M

37.38%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$101 PKR 27.9K

70.01%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$5.88 PKR 1,628

299.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$16.89 PKR 4,674

37.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$16.54 PKR 4,578

308.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$7.15 PKR 1,978

164.20%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.42 PKR 1,224

110.41%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$75.8 PKR 21.0K

603.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$1,028 PKR 284.5K

1529.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$25.76 PKR 7,131

286.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$34.46 PKR 9,537

26.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$94.6 PKR 26.2K

16.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$40.80 PKR 11.3K

191.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$127 PKR 35.0K

556.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$75.6 PKR 20.9K

722.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$253 PKR 69.9K

530.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$149 PKR 41.3K

683.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$830 PKR 229.7K

602.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$443 PKR 122.7K

777.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

13.08

-50.69%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mardan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Mardan

$76 15.4% 87.8% $546

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Mardan

$84 17.1% 67.4% $174

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Mardan

$80 16.2% 64.3% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Mardan

$123 25.1% 43.4% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Mardan

$88 17.9% 47.5% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Mardan

$25 5.2% 70.5% $61

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Mardan

$16 3.2% 64.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $127 in Mardan. 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 $24.00 in Mardan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $84.0 – making Mardan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇰 Mardan

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

08:32 8:32 AM

3 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

358,604

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Mardan 4,600 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Mardan

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 Mardan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 229%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $737 in Mardan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 175% less in Mardan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $75.8 in Mardan. 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 Mardan, where all-in costs run around $492, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Mardan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mardan – 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 Mardan. 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.