Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Saham

For one person, living is cheaper in Saham: $959 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Saham
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Saham Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Saham

🇴🇲 Oman

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Saham

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $959 in Saham, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Saham $959

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,439 in Saham, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Saham $1,439

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,920 in Saham, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Saham $1,920

Budapest costs about 69% more than Saham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Saham is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$5.12 OMR 1.97

172.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$39.33 OMR 15.14

55.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.81 OMR 3.01

30.47%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$5.21 OMR 2.00

-37.43%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.91 OMR 0.35

135.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.29 OMR 0.11

513.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$13.19 OMR 5.08

-71.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$12.89 OMR 4.96

-70.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.33 OMR 0.90

-50.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.20 OMR 0.46

49.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.87 OMR 0.72

33.16%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.92 OMR 1.13

33.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.49 OMR 2.88

48.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.00 OMR 2.69

-5.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.70 OMR 4.12

37.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.54 OMR 1.36

-48.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.99 OMR 0.77

3.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.32 OMR 0.89

2.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.27 OMR 0.49

207.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.21 OMR 0.47

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.23 OMR 0.47

-18.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.88 OMR 0.72

-15.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.66 OMR 0.25

1.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.46 OMR 2.49

23.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$15.88 OMR 6.11

-60.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$6.05 OMR 2.33

-79.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$10.14 OMR 3.91

-79.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.29 OMR 1.27

0.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.61 OMR 1.01

-47.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$7.82 OMR 3.01

153.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.60 OMR 0.23

203.33%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$25.1K OMR 9,647

18.92%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$22.6K OMR 8,688

49.84%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$180 OMR 69.3

-4.88%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$30.60 OMR 11.78

-23.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$70.6 OMR 27.18

-67.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$10.45 OMR 4.02

-11.00%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$282 OMR 109

89.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$10.4K OMR 4,008

60.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$56.6 OMR 21.78

76.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$42.91 OMR 16.52

1.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$89.8 OMR 34.57

22.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$87.0 OMR 33.51

36.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.25

22.86%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Saham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Saham

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Saham

$293 30.5% 13.6% $35

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Saham

$223 23.3% 0.2% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Saham

$281 29.3% 29% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Saham

$124 13% 25.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Saham

$21 * 2.2% 75.7% $65

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Saham

$16 * 1.7% 63% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $39.00 in Saham. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $293 in Saham – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇴🇲 Saham

🕒 Local time

10:29 10:29 AM

12:29 12:29 PM

2 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

140,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Saham 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Saham

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 Saham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,439 in Saham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $39.00 in Saham. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Saham, where all-in costs run around $959, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Saham it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Saham – 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 Saham. 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.