Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Sidon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sidon: $1,001 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Sidon
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Sidon Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Sidon

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Sidon

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,001 in Sidon, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Sidon $1,001

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,606 in Sidon, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Sidon $1,606

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,210 in Sidon, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Sidon $2,210

Budapest costs about 62% more than Sidon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Sidon is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$12.22 LBP 1.1M

14.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$69.7 LBP 6.2M

-12.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$9.90 LBP 886.1K

2.93%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.61 LBP 412.5K

-29.28%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.35 LBP 210.4K

-8.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.83 LBP 74.6K

114.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$5.08 LBP 454.6K

-26.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.64 LBP 415.2K

-18.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.93 LBP 172.6K

-40.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.84 LBP 75.6K

113.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.27 LBP 202.7K

9.69%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.55 LBP 317.4K

9.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.91 LBP 976.8K

1.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$10.59 LBP 947.8K

-37.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.81 LBP 1.3M

-0.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.02 LBP 269.9K

-39.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.70 LBP 151.8K

20.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.69 LBP 151.6K

40.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.53 LBP 137.0K

154.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.21 LBP 108.4K

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.54 LBP 138.0K

-35.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.16 LBP 103.5K

36.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.73 LBP 65.6K

-8.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.03 LBP 271.3K

162.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$10.79 LBP 966.0K

-42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.28 LBP 114.1K

-0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.47 LBP 221.0K

-17.81%

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

$5.03 LBP 450.2K

-34.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.19 LBP 195.6K

-37.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$22.28 LBP 2.0M

-11.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.10 LBP 98.2K

65.45%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$54.1K LBP 4.8B

-44.93%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$32.1K LBP 2.9B

5.36%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$233 LBP 20.8M

-26.46%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$21.86 LBP 2.0M

7.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$37.35 LBP 3.3M

-37.64%

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

$9.95 LBP 890.8K

-6.53%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$685 LBP 61.3M

-22.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$10.5K LBP 942.4M

59.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$68.2 LBP 6.1M

46.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$50.1 LBP 4.5M

-13.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$138 LBP 12.4M

-20.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$119 LBP 10.7M

-0.29%

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

-41.36%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sidon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Sidon

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Sidon

$274 27.4% 6.2% $16

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Sidon

$230 23% 3.2% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Sidon

$292 29.2% 34% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Sidon

$169 16.9% 0.9% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Sidon

$20 * 2% 76.9% $66

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Sidon

$16 * 1.6% 63.9% $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 $70.0 in Sidon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $274 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇧 Sidon

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

20:41 8:41 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

163,554

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, 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).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,630 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Sidon 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Sidon

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 Sidon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 62%, 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 $1,501 in Sidon. 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 $70.0 in Sidon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sidon, where all-in costs run around $1,001, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Sidon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sidon – 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 Sidon. 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.