Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Mersa Matruh

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $457 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Mersa Matruh
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Mersa Matruh Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Mersa Matruh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Mersa Matruh

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $457 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Mersa Matruh $457

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $749 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Mersa Matruh $749

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,040 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Mersa Matruh $1,040

Budapest costs about 259% more than Mersa Matruh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Mersa Matruh is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,582

$4.20 E£234

234.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.9K

$19.05 E£1,062

219.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,385

$4.72 E£264

119.70%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,129

$1.27 E£70.6

172.44%

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

$2.07 Ft 676

$0.33 E£18.14

527.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 578

$0.11 E£6.01

1509.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,203

$1.36 E£75.8

171.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,241

$2.79 E£156

36.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 378

$0.87 E£48.65

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 604

$0.66 E£37.07

180.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 784

$0.65 E£36.07

269.23%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,302

$1.19 E£66.1

235.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,721

$3.80 E£212

200.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,243

$4.24 E£237

62.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,730

$9.23 E£515

56.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 613

$1.54 E£86.1

22.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 700

$0.75 E£41.82

185.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 752

$0.55 E£30.85

318.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,317

$0.35 E£19.76

1054.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 333

$0.26 E£14.59

292.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 323

$0.30 E£16.70

230.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 515

$0.27 E£15.19

485.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 227

$0.22 E£11.99

218.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,620

$1.85 E£103

334.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 2,017

$5.67 E£316

8.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 405

$1.25 E£69.6

-0.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 673

$2.28 E£127

-9.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 518

$0.21 E£11.72

657.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,983

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,121

$0.56 E£31.13

512.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 435

$0.17 E£9.23

682.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,674

$1.20 E£67.1

1604.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 631

$0.43 E£24.06

348.84%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.5M

$32.5K E£1.8M

-10.29%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.3M

$27.1K E£1.5M

28.28%

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

$175 Ft 57.0K

$14.05 E£784

1142.63%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,708

$6.68 E£373

253.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,702

$13.50 E£753

74.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.5K

$15.88 E£885

333.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,287

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,366

$2.91 E£162

254.30%

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

$535 Ft 174.7K

$85.0 E£4,740

529.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$2,090 E£116.6K

705.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.6K

$33.72 E£1,881

196.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.1K

$45.91 E£2,560

-5.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.5K

$128 E£7,112

-12.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.8K

$57.4 E£3,202

107.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 271.5K

$128 E£7,152

548.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 205.3K

$76.7 E£4,278

720.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 517.6K

$256 E£14.3K

520.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 390.5K

$144 E£8,048

729.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.9M

$772 E£43.0K

641.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$354 E£19.7K

1015.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 558.7K

$94.2 E£5,253

1717.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

21.33

-69.76%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mersa Matruh: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.8% 87.8% $552

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Mersa Matruh

$126 27.6% 51.7% $135

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.9% 65.9% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Mersa Matruh

$34 7.5% 84.6% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Mersa Matruh

$119 26% 29.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Mersa Matruh

$22 4.7% 75.8% $68

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Mersa Matruh

$2.2 * 0.5% 94.9% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $128 in Mersa Matruh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Budapest are about 18 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $19 in Mersa Matruh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $126 – making Mersa Matruh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

09:43 9:43 AM

2 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

140,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Mersa Matruh 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Mersa Matruh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 259%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $686 in Mersa Matruh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mersa Matruh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $832 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $19 in Mersa Matruh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 107% 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Mersa Matruh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Mersa Matruh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mersa Matruh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Mersa Matruh. 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.