Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Surinam

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $626 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Surinam
Learn more

Surinam Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Surinam

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Surinam

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $626 in Surinam, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Surinam $626

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,049 in Surinam, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Surinam $1,049

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,472 in Surinam, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Surinam $1,472

Budapest costs about 162% more than Surinam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Surinam is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$5.96 MUR 280

135.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$38.18 MUR 1,797

59.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$7.54 MUR 355

37.53%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.70 MUR 127

28.15%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.18 MUR 55.3

75.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.68 MUR 31.99

160.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$2.68 MUR 126

37.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$4.62 MUR 218

-17.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.61 MUR 75.6

-27.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.72 MUR 33.80

156.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.10 MUR 51.8

118.18%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$2.65 MUR 125

50.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$5.31 MUR 250

114.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$6.18 MUR 291

11.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$11.05 MUR 520

31.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$2.81 MUR 132

-33.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$2.66 MUR 125

-19.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.45 MUR 68.3

58.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.98 MUR 140

35.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.93 MUR 43.58

9.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.96 MUR 45.08

3.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.73 MUR 34.57

116.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.89 MUR 41.98

-21.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$6.34 MUR 298

26.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$8.60 MUR 405

-28.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.66 MUR 78.3

-25.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$2.38 MUR 112

-13.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$4.09 MUR 192

-16.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$3.22 MUR 151

-58.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$20.97 MUR 987

-2.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.39 MUR 65.2

38.85%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

-21.16%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$30.4K MUR 1.4M

14.06%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$44.93 MUR 2,115

288.58%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$10.67 MUR 502

121.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$28.60 MUR 1,346

-17.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$6.39 MUR 301

61.35%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$124 MUR 5,826

332.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$7,598 MUR 357.7K

121.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$78.6 MUR 3,702

27.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$75.1 MUR 3,533

-42.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$120 MUR 5,633

-6.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$78.1 MUR 3,678

52.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.67

-3.30%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Surinam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Surinam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Surinam

$217 34.8% 16.9% $44

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Surinam

$133 21.2% 41.3% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Surinam

$84 13.5% 62% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Surinam

$158 25.3% 6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Surinam

$13 * 2% 85.7% $77

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Surinam

$20 * 3.2% 54.1% $24

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 $38.00 in Surinam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $218 – making Surinam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇺 Surinam

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

09:12 9:12 AM

2 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

10,500

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Surinam 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Surinam

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 Surinam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 162%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $938 in Surinam. 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 $38.00 in Surinam. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surinam, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Surinam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surinam – 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 Surinam. 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.