Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Rabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabat: $834 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
Learn more

Rabat Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Rabat

🇲🇦 Morocco

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Rabat

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $834 in Rabat, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Rabat $834

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,433 in Rabat, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Rabat $1,433

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,031 in Rabat, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Rabat $2,031

Budapest costs about 94% more than Rabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Rabat is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$4.27 MAD 41.59

227.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$40.69 MAD 396

48.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$6.91 MAD 67.3

44.14%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$1.92 MAD 18.64

76.04%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.56 MAD 5.48

280.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.35 MAD 3.42

434.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$5.07 MAD 49.31

-26.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.09 MAD 30.08

15.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$0.86 MAD 8.37

31.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$0.65 MAD 6.29

183.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.91 MAD 18.58

25.13%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$1.84 MAD 17.94

108.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$11.01 MAD 107

2.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$6.63 MAD 64.6

1.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$11.99 MAD 117

22.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$1.59 MAD 15.49

15.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.36 MAD 13.19

47.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$0.83 MAD 8.08

184.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$0.88 MAD 8.57

328.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.71 MAD 6.93

35.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$0.79 MAD 7.65

30.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.39 MAD 3.83

300.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.58 MAD 5.65

13.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$4.10 MAD 39.89

94.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$7.14 MAD 69.6

-15.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$2.62 MAD 25.54

-50.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.61 MAD 25.42

-20.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.49 MAD 4.77

206.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$24.98 MAD 243

10.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$0.72 MAD 6.99

358.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.58 MAD 5.66

124.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.48 MAD 14.37

22.30%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$30.2K MAD 293.8K

-2.82%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$29.6K MAD 288.2K

15.22%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$35.22 MAD 343

382.51%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$9.44 MAD 91.9

154.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$33.23 MAD 324

-29.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$27.99 MAD 272

136.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$23.54 MAD 229

-18.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$5.97 MAD 58.1

59.46%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$180 MAD 1,753

198.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$9,210 MAD 89.7K

80.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$46.06 MAD 448

120.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$39.15 MAD 381

9.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$91.4 MAD 889

23.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$64.9 MAD 632

82.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$521 MAD 5,075

54.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$268 MAD 2,611

134.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$956 MAD 9,310

62.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$686 MAD 6,683

70.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,967 MAD 19.1K

185.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,136 MAD 11.1K

249.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$695 MAD 6,765

133.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

4.52

42.26%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Rabat: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Rabat

$268 32% 57.4% $361

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Rabat

$201 23.9% 22% $57

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Rabat

$113 13.5% 49.6% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Rabat

$78 9.3% 64.2% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Rabat

$109 13% 35.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Rabat

$40 4.8% 53.2% $45

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Rabat

$31 3.6% 29.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $521 in Rabat. 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 134% 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 $41.00 in Rabat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $201 – making Rabat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇦 Rabat

🕒 Local time

13:59 1:59 PM

12:59 12:59 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

573,895 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 MAD = 10.27 USD

100 MAD = 9.17 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, 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).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.74 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.91 MAD (100 MAD = 9.17 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Rabat 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Rabat

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 Rabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 94%, 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 $1,251 in Rabat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 11% less in Rabat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $180 in Rabat. 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 Rabat, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Rabat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rabat – 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 Rabat. 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.