Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $773 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
Learn more

Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Sulaymaniyah

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $773 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Sulaymaniyah $773

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,194 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Sulaymaniyah $1,194

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,615 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Sulaymaniyah $1,615

Budapest costs about 110% more than Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Sulaymaniyah is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$5.07 IQD 7,660

175.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$22.93 IQD 34.6K

163.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

41.48%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.88 IQD 4,344

17.36%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.50 IQD 759

326.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.25 IQD 378

648.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$3.93 IQD 5,943

-4.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$2.27 IQD 3,427

57.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.28 IQD 1,935

-11.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.01 IQD 1,519

82.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.86 IQD 2,812

28.49%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$1.77 IQD 2,672

116.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$4.96 IQD 7,490

128.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$4.22 IQD 6,382

59.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$15.30 IQD 23.1K

-3.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$1.28 IQD 1,935

43.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.28 IQD 1,937

57.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.15 IQD 1,737

105.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$0.68 IQD 1,025

454.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.56 IQD 847

71.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$0.73 IQD 1,096

41.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.73 IQD 1,101

113.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.50 IQD 752

32.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$2.28 IQD 3,444

249.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$11.23 IQD 17.0K

-46.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.95 IQD 2,949

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$1.42 IQD 2,141

46.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.60 IQD 902

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$22.68 IQD 34.3K

21.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$2.22 IQD 3,361

48.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$2.34 IQD 3,531

-44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$5.50 IQD 8,306

259.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.69 IQD 1,045

162.32%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$20.9K IQD 31.5M

40.50%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$18.9K IQD 28.6M

80.07%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$100 IQD 151.7K

69.31%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$11.49 IQD 17.4K

108.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$28.04 IQD 42.4K

-16.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$39.70 IQD 60.0K

66.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$20.09 IQD 30.4K

-4.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$7.58 IQD 11.5K

25.59%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$173 IQD 261.0K

210.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$2,946 IQD 4.5M

463.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$18.91 IQD 28.6K

435.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$25.19 IQD 38.1K

70.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$43.24 IQD 65.3K

160.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$38.64 IQD 58.4K

207.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$215 IQD 324.7K

274.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$175 IQD 264.2K

259.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$492 IQD 743.9K

214.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$363 IQD 548.8K

221.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$786 IQD 1.2M

614.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$630 IQD 952.4K

529.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$584 IQD 882.1K

178.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

5.77

11.44%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$175 22.5% 72.2% $454

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$188 24.2% 26.9% $69

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$123 15.9% 45% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$140 18% 35.6% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$57 7.3% 66.5% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Sulaymaniyah

$55 7.1% 35.7% $30

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$39 5% 10.3% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $215 in Sulaymaniyah. 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 178% 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 $23.00 in Sulaymaniyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $188 – making Sulaymaniyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

823,199

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, 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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Budapest Sulaymaniyah 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Sulaymaniyah

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 Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 110%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,160 in Sulaymaniyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 22% less in Sulaymaniyah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $173 in Sulaymaniyah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sulaymaniyah, where all-in costs run around $773, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Sulaymaniyah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sulaymaniyah – 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 Sulaymaniyah. 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.