Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Qena

For one person, living is cheaper in Qena: $468 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Qena
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Qena Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Qena

🇪🇬 Egypt

$468

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Qena

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $468 in Qena, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Qena $468

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $746 in Qena, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Qena $746

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,023 in Qena, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Qena $1,023

Budapest costs about 246% more than Qena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Qena is 65% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,521

$3.84 E£205

263.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$14.99 E£801

308.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,304

$5.78 E£309

76.30%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,059

$2.00 E£107

63.00%

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

$2.14 Ft 693

$0.50 E£26.78

328.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$0.18 E£9.56

888.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,203

$1.92 E£103

93.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,222

$3.04 E£162

24.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$0.97 E£51.7

18.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$0.76 E£40.69

135.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 807

$0.66 E£35.14

277.27%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$1.93 E£103

102.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,602

$3.15 E£169

252.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,147

$5.61 E£300

18.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,764

$9.89 E£528

48.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$1.48 E£79.2

23.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$0.52 E£27.67

294.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$0.41 E£21.67

478.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,265

$0.41 E£21.99

851.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$0.34 E£18.28

191.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$0.39 E£20.87

156.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$0.27 E£14.25

485.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.18 E£9.69

272.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,582

$2.14 E£114

271.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,017

$7.22 E£386

-13.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$1.26 E£67.1

0.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

$1.71 E£91.6

18.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$0.17 E£9.02

794.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,089

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,074

$0.37 E£20.03

794.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.21 E£11.18

552.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,432

$1.26 E£67.1

1473.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$0.43 E£22.75

323.26%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$31.9K E£1.7M

-6.54%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$21.8K E£1.2M

55.44%

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

$171 Ft 55.5K

$25.42 E£1,359

573.17%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,627

$7.95 E£425

195.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,556

$9.28 E£496

150.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$15.61 E£834

332.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,129

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,016

$3.39 E£181

174.34%

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

$533 Ft 173.0K

$101 E£5,375

430.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$598 E£32.0K

2702.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$19.95 E£1,066

399.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$33.52 E£1,791

29.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$123 E£6,579

-10.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$28.92 E£1,545

311.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.4K

$133 E£7,086

526.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.7K

$79.8 E£4,265

679.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 516.9K

$280 E£14.9K

469.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.6K

$145 E£7,723

709.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$709 E£37.9K

723.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$300 E£16.0K

1195.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

16.21

-60.21%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Qena: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Qena

$80 17.1% 87.2% $542

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Qena

$138 29.5% 46.4% $120

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Qena

$90 19.3% 59.4% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Qena

$43 9.1% 80.4% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Qena

$92 19.8% 44.8% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Qena

$22 4.8% 74% $64

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Qena

$2.1 * 0.5% 95.3% $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 $133 in Qena. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $15.00 in Qena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $138 – making Qena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇪🇬 Qena

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

22:18 10:18 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

235,362

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 53.44 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 59.84 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Qena 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min 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 Qena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 246%, 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 $702 in Qena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qena, 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 $15.00 in Qena. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 87% 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 Qena, where all-in costs run around $468, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Qena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Qena – 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 Qena. 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.