Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Mazar-i-Sharif

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $297 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Mazar-i-Sharif
Learn more

Mazar-i-Sharif Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Mazar-i-Sharif $297

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $470 in Mazar-i-Sharif, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Mazar-i-Sharif $470

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $643 in Mazar-i-Sharif, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Mazar-i-Sharif $643

Budapest costs about 446% more than Mazar-i-Sharif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Mazar-i-Sharif is 78% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$2.31 ؋149

505.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$15.68 ؋1,015

284.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$3.90 ؋252

155.38%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 ؋487

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 ؋503

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$1.19 ؋77.3

184.03%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$0.56 ؋36.07

280.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.32 ؋20.97

484.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$0.60 ؋38.87

88.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$0.15 ؋9.41

1126.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.15 ؋139

11.16%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$1.59 ؋103

140.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$7.92 ؋513

43.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$3.37 ؋218

100.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$6.23 ؋404

135.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$0.59 ؋38.23

211.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.17 ؋76.0

71.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$0.81 ؋52.6

191.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$0.61 ؋39.57

518.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$0.51 ؋33.06

88.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$0.40 ؋25.83

157.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.52 ؋33.75

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.32 ؋20.76

106.25%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 ؋118

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$1.56 ؋101

410.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.80 ؋52.0

87.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$1.52 ؋98.7

1201.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.49 ؋96.3

21.48%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$9,933 ؋643.3K

195.24%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$83.8 ؋5,425

102.89%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$16.94 ؋1,097

41.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$11.69 ؋757

466.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$3.91 ؋253

390.54%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$4.72 ؋306

101.69%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$78.1 ؋5,058

587.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$13.14 ؋851

671.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$18.75 ؋1,214

533.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

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 529.5K

$231 ؋15.0K

604.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Mazar-i-Sharif

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$106 36.2% 58.7% $151

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$48 16.3% 78.6% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$101 * 34.3% 53.7% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$14 * 4.9% 91.5% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$21 7.2% 75.2% $64

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$3.2 * 1.1% 92.6% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 604% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $16.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $106 – making Mazar-i-Sharif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🕒 Local time

12:39 12:39 PM

15:09 3:09 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

300,600

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.57 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Mazar-i-Sharif 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 446%, 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 $445 in Mazar-i-Sharif. 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 $16.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 142% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mazar-i-Sharif, where all-in costs run around $297, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Mazar-i-Sharif it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mazar-i-Sharif – 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 Mazar-i-Sharif. 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.