Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Mashhad

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $745 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
Learn more

Mashhad Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$745

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Mashhad

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $745 in Mashhad, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Mashhad $745

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,114 in Mashhad, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Mashhad $1,114

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,483 in Mashhad, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Mashhad $1,483

Budapest costs about 117% more than Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Mashhad is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$4.17 IQD 6,301

234.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$29.37 IQD 44.4K

108.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

51.41%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.67 IQD 4,034

22.10%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.33 IQD 492

548.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.22 IQD 333

709.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.26 IQD 4,921

13.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.37 IQD 5,091

11.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.89 IQD 1,346

29.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.68 IQD 1,035

163.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.33 IQD 2,005

87.22%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$0.82 IQD 1,242

375.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$3.36 IQD 5,071

230.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$1.97 IQD 2,981

236.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$3.09 IQD 4,668

375.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.01 IQD 1,521

81.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$0.92 IQD 1,385

122.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$0.91 IQD 1,373

160.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.68 IQD 1,026

473.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.56 IQD 845

76.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.60 IQD 900

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.29 IQD 432

444.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.21 IQD 322

219.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$0.83 IQD 1,254

859.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$11.88 IQD 17.9K

-47.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.98 IQD 2,989

-35.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.96 IQD 2,965

3.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.46 IQD 690

230.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$21.64 IQD 32.7K

29.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.01 IQD 3,031

64.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.30 IQD 1,965

5.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.39 IQD 9,659

210.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.53 IQD 805

243.40%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

77.44%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

102.22%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$192 IQD 289.6K

-10.73%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$17.37 IQD 26.2K

35.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$36.33 IQD 54.9K

-35.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$34.10 IQD 51.5K

98.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$10.02 IQD 15.1K

-7.19%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$147 IQD 221.6K

263.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$2,968 IQD 4.5M

464.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$25.05 IQD 37.9K

297.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$28.34 IQD 42.8K

53.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$60.1 IQD 90.8K

83.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$41.28 IQD 62.4K

188.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$150 IQD 226.4K

454.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$118 IQD 178.6K

426.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$402 IQD 606.7K

296.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$286 IQD 432.6K

308.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$717 IQD 1.1M

713.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$639 IQD 965.4K

508.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.12

56.55%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Mashhad

$118 15.9% 81% $504

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Mashhad

$115 15.5% 55.3% $143

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Mashhad

$111 14.9% 50.3% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Mashhad

$245 32.9% 12.6% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Mashhad

$70 9.3% 58.4% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Mashhad

$54 7.3% 37.1% $32

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Mashhad

$32 4.3% 27.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $150 in Mashhad. 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 $29.00 in Mashhad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $115 – making Mashhad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

20:57 8:57 PM

21:57 9:57 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

13,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, 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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Mashhad 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Mashhad

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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 117%, 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 $1,118 in Mashhad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 29% less in Mashhad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $147 in Mashhad. 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 Mashhad, where all-in costs run around $745, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Mashhad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mashhad – 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 Mashhad. 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.