Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and New Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in New Cairo: $728 a month against $1,619 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
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in New Cairo
Learn more

New Cairo Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

New Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$728

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in New Cairo

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $728 in New Cairo, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
New Cairo $728

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,097 in New Cairo, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
New Cairo $1,097

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,467 in New Cairo, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
New Cairo $1,467

Budapest costs about 122% more than New Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while New Cairo is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$5.74 E£307

142.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$25.75 E£1,375

137.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.60 E£299

81.96%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.00 E£107

63.00%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.38 E£20.30

463.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.15 E£7.89

1086.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.93 E£156

26.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.37 E£180

11.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.96 E£51.4

19.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.01 E£54.1

77.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.77 E£41.36

223.38%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.51 E£80.5

158.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$4.25 E£227

161.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.53 E£295

19.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.34 E£445

76.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.71 E£91.6

7.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$0.74 E£39.29

177.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$0.49 E£25.94

383.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.40 E£21.56

875.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.32 E£17.29

209.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.47 E£24.94

112.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.20 E£10.67

690.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.24 E£12.82

179.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$1.90 E£101

318.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$9.75 E£521

-36.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.40 E£75.0

-9.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.00 E£107

1.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.17 E£8.91

794.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.55 E£29.35

501.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.16 E£8.60

756.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$3.83 E£205

417.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.42 E£22.42

333.33%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$32.4K E£1.7M

-8.08%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$26.7K E£1.4M

26.47%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$40.44 E£2,159

323.15%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.41 E£503

149.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$14.06 E£751

65.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$29.14 E£1,556

131.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$6.16 E£329

206.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$3.24 E£173

187.04%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$180 E£9,611

196.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,744 E£253.3K

253.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$46.25 E£2,470

115.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$54.5 E£2,908

-20.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$115 E£6,151

-4.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$56.5 E£3,016

110.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$300 E£16.0K

176.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$246 E£13.1K

152.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$548 E£29.3K

190.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$357 E£19.1K

227.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,204 E£64.3K

384.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$647 E£34.5K

501.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$187 E£10.0K

781.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

11.4

-43.42%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for New Cairo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

New Cairo

$246 33.8% 60.4% $376

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

New Cairo

$147 20.2% 42.9% $111

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

New Cairo

$110 15.1% 50.6% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

New Cairo

$64 8.8% 70.7% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

New Cairo

$123 16.8% 26.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

New Cairo

$36 4.9% 58.6% $51

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

New Cairo

$2 * 0.3% 95.4% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $300 in New Cairo. 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 782% 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $26.00 in New Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $147 – making New Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇪🇬 New Cairo

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

00:32 12:32 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

298,343

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest New Cairo 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
New Cairo

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 New Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 122%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,092 in New Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $26.00 in New Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 75% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in New Cairo, where all-in costs run around $728, than in Budapest at $1,619. In New Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward New Cairo – 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 New Cairo. 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.