Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Sharm El Sheikh

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh: $455 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Sharm El Sheikh
Learn more

Sharm El Sheikh Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Sharm El Sheikh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$455

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Sharm El Sheikh

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 Sharm El Sheikh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $455 in Sharm El Sheikh, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Sharm El Sheikh $455

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $706 in Sharm El Sheikh, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Sharm El Sheikh $706

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $956 in Sharm El Sheikh, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Sharm El Sheikh $956

Budapest costs about 256% more than Sharm El Sheikh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Sharm El Sheikh is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$23.17 E£1,237

164.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.87 E£260

109.24%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.23 E£119

46.19%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.33 E£17.57

548.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.59 E£31.40

201.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.79 E£202

-2.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.66 E£249

-19.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.82 E£43.80

40.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.45 E£24.03

453.33%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.21 E£64.5

222.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.75 E£200

76.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.55 E£82.9

18.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$0.45 E£24.00

355.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$0.45 E£24.12

426.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.27 E£14.28

1344.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.17 E£116

266.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.48 E£78.8

-14.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.10 E£5.23

1420.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.46 E£24.81

295.65%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$32.7K E£1.7M

-8.80%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$21.8K E£1.2M

55.15%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$11.34 E£605

107.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$27.77 E£1,483

-16.13%

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

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$359 E£19.2K

131.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$287 E£15.3K

116.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$622 E£33.2K

156.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$530 E£28.3K

120.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$948 E£50.6K

515.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$665 E£35.5K

484.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$151 E£8,062

993.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

26.5

-75.66%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sharm El Sheikh: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Sharm El Sheikh

$287 63.2% 53.8% $335

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Sharm El Sheikh

$55 * 12% 78.8% $203

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Sharm El Sheikh

$73 * 16.1% 67.1% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Sharm El Sheikh

$39 * 8.6% 82.1% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Sharm El Sheikh

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Sharm El Sheikh

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Sharm El Sheikh

$0.4 * 0.1% 99.1% $44

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 $359 in Sharm El Sheikh. 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 994% 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 $23.00 in Sharm El Sheikh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $55.0 – making Sharm El Sheikh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh

🕒 Local time

12:40 12:40 PM

13:40 1:40 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

38,478

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

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Budapest Sharm El Sheikh 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Sharm El Sheikh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 256%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $682 in Sharm El Sheikh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 373% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $23.00 in Sharm El Sheikh. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sharm El Sheikh, where all-in costs run around $455, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Sharm El Sheikh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sharm El Sheikh – 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 Sharm El Sheikh. 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.