Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Medina

For one person, living is cheaper in Medina: $1,364 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
Learn more

Medina Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Medina

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,364 in Medina, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Medina $1,364

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,816 in Medina, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Medina $1,816

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,268 in Medina, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Medina $2,268

Budapest costs about 19% more than Medina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Medina sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Medina by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$5.53 SAR 20.75

152.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$32.09 SAR 120

88.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$8.20 SAR 30.78

21.46%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.70 SAR 10.15

25.19%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.76 SAR 2.84

180.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.25 SAR 0.95

648.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.49 SAR 5.61

-24.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$0.92 SAR 3.44

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.32 SAR 8.70

3.02%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.09 SAR 7.84

83.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$5.44 SAR 20.44

108.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$7.03 SAR 26.39

-4.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$12.49 SAR 46.90

17.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$2.42 SAR 9.10

-23.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.98 SAR 7.42

1.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.29 SAR 8.60

3.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.55 SAR 5.83

143.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.36 SAR 5.12

-29.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.37 SAR 5.14

-24.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.93 SAR 3.49

67.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.71 SAR 2.68

-7.04%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$7.54 SAR 28.32

5.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$1.05 SAR 3.94

42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$36.80 SAR 138

-24.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$1.36 SAR 5.12

142.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.68 SAR 6.32

-22.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$5.71 SAR 21.44

246.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.64 SAR 2.41

182.81%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$41.8K SAR 157.0K

-29.85%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$20.7K SAR 77.5K

65.17%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$149 SAR 558

14.34%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$27.41 SAR 103

-12.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$90.7 SAR 341

-74.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$78.9 SAR 296

-16.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$9.01 SAR 33.83

112.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$13.51 SAR 50.7

-29.53%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$294 SAR 1,103

82.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$5,483 SAR 20.6K

202.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$36.85 SAR 138

175.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$54.4 SAR 204

-20.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$67.0 SAR 252

68.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$70.0 SAR 263

69.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$570 SAR 2,139

41.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$529 SAR 1,988

18.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$779 SAR 2,926

98.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$573 SAR 2,151

103.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,309 SAR 8,670

143.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,356 SAR 5,091

192.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$1,244 SAR 4,671

30.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

4.17

54.20%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medina: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Medina

$529 39.2% 15.9% $100

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Medina

$191 14.1% 26% $67

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Medina

$105 7.8% 53.1% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Medina

$267 19.7% 22.7% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Medina

$103 7.6% 39.3% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Medina

$106 7.8% 24.2% $21

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Medina

$51 3.8% 16.9% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $570 in Medina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 31% 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 $32.00 in Medina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $191 – making Medina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇸🇦 Medina

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

09:04 9:04 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,100,093

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, 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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Medina 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Medina

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 Medina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 19%, 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 $2,047 in Medina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 33% less in Medina. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $294 in Medina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Medina, where all-in costs run around $1,364, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Medina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medina – 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 Medina. 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.