Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Taif

For one person, living is cheaper in Taif: $1,239 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Taif
Learn more

Taif Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Taif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,239

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Taif

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,239 in Taif, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Taif $1,239

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,827 in Taif, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Taif $1,827

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,416 in Taif, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Taif $2,416

Budapest costs about 31% more than Taif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Taif is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$5.28 SAR 19.82

164.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$37.38 SAR 140

63.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.31 SAR 27.41

39.40%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 SAR 7.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.23 SAR 8.37

46.19%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.70 SAR 2.64

205.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.17 SAR 0.64

947.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.75 SAR 6.57

-34.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.26 SAR 0.97

588.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.34 SAR 8.80

6.41%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.74 SAR 10.26

42.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$5.97 SAR 22.40

85.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.11 SAR 26.68

-6.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.46 SAR 35.50

55.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.38 SAR 8.94

-23.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.72 SAR 6.45

19.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.84 SAR 6.90

28.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.83 SAR 6.86

113.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.31 SAR 4.92

-24.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.42 SAR 5.33

-29.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.94 SAR 3.54

68.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.82 SAR 3.07

-18.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.20 SAR 11.99

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 SAR 5.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 SAR 7.50

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$7.36 SAR 27.63

8.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.07 SAR 4.03

42.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$36.19 SAR 136

-22.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.30 SAR 4.86

154.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.05 SAR 7.68

-33.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$9.42 SAR 35.34

110.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.60 SAR 2.26

203.33%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$44.6K SAR 167.3K

-33.17%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$20.8K SAR 78.1K

62.44%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$138 SAR 519

23.83%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$28.04 SAR 105

-16.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$67.4 SAR 253

-65.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$145 SAR 543

-53.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$13.23 SAR 49.64

42.78%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$19.68 SAR 73.9

-52.74%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$185 SAR 693

188.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$3,342 SAR 12.5K

401.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$42.10 SAR 158

136.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$55.3 SAR 208

-21.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$95.5 SAR 358

15.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$86.4 SAR 324

37.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$583 SAR 2,187

42.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$368 SAR 1,380

69.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$803 SAR 3,012

98.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$566 SAR 2,124

106.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,395 SAR 8,986

143.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,368 SAR 5,132

184.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,567 SAR 5,880

5.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.54

16.43%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Taif: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Taif

$368 29.7% 40.9% $254

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Taif

$181 14.6% 29.7% $77

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Taif

$94 7.6% 57.6% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Taif

$234 18.9% 7.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Taif

$126 10.2% 25% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Taif

$184 14.9% 114% $98

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Taif

$52 4.2% 17.6% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $583 in Taif. 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 5% 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 $37.00 in Taif. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $181 – making Taif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇸🇦 Taif

🕒 Local time

03:23 3:23 AM

04:23 4:23 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

579,970

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Taif 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Budapest
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Taif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,859 in Taif. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 29% less in Taif. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $185 in Taif. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taif, where all-in costs run around $1,239, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Taif it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taif – 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 Taif. 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.