Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Mombasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $726 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
Learn more

Mombasa Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Mombasa

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $726 in Mombasa, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Mombasa $726

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,140 in Mombasa, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Mombasa $1,140

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,553 in Mombasa, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Mombasa $1,553

Budapest costs about 123% more than Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Mombasa is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$2.65 KES 343

427.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$24.75 KES 3,210

143.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$10.36 KES 1,343

-3.86%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.75 KES 357

22.91%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.68 KES 88.1

213.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.52 KES 67.1

259.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.28 KES 296

64.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.33 KES 432

7.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$0.99 KES 128

14.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$0.53 KES 69.3

247.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.52 KES 197

57.24%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$1.75 KES 227

118.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$13.89 KES 1,802

-18.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$4.92 KES 639

36.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$5.42 KES 703

171.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$2.17 KES 282

-15.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.15 KES 149

74.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.77 KES 230

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$0.71 KES 91.6

430.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.74 KES 95.8

29.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.05 KES 136

-1.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.60 KES 78.0

160.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.46 KES 59.4

43.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$3.99 KES 517

99.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$9.71 KES 1,259

-38.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.93 KES 250

-32.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.90 KES 377

-28.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.80 KES 103

87.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$39.24 KES 5,089

-29.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$3.17 KES 411

4.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.76 KES 229

-26.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$4.49 KES 583

340.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.59 KES 206

13.84%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$12.1K KES 1.6M

141.99%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$12.2K KES 1.6M

180.55%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$76.8 KES 9,958

121.33%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$9.20 KES 1,194

160.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$34.52 KES 4,478

-32.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$18.03 KES 2,339

267.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$19.39 KES 2,515

-1.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$15.22 KES 1,974

-37.45%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$85.5 KES 11.1K

528.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$5,377 KES 697.4K

208.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$13.31 KES 1,727

661.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$13.57 KES 1,760

216.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$23.10 KES 2,996

388.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$46.02 KES 5,969

158.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$231 KES 30.0K

248.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$157 KES 20.3K

301.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$538 KES 69.8K

187.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$374 KES 48.5K

212.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$5,456 KES 707.6K

2.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$3,836 KES 497.6K

3.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$318 KES 41.3K

410.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

-50.54%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mombasa: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Mombasa

$157 21.8% 75.1% $472

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Mombasa

$186 26% 27.7% $71

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Mombasa

$108 15.1% 51.8% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Mombasa

$121 16.8% 44.6% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Mombasa

$43 6% 74.5% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Mombasa

$48 6.8% 43.2% $37

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Mombasa

$54 7.6% 25.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $231 in Mombasa. 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 411% 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 $25.00 in Mombasa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $186 – making Mombasa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

10:30 10:30 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,300,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Mombasa 6,080 km ≈ 8 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 Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 123%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,089 in Mombasa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 42% less in Mombasa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $85.5 in Mombasa. 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 Mombasa, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Mombasa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mombasa – 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 Mombasa. 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.