Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Tamarin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tamarin: $1,024 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Tamarin
Learn more

Tamarin Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Tamarin

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$1,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Tamarin

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,024 in Tamarin, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Tamarin $1,024

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,623 in Tamarin, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Tamarin $1,623

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,222 in Tamarin, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Tamarin $2,222

Budapest costs about 58% more than Tamarin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Tamarin is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$5.64 MUR 266

147.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$32.00 MUR 1,507

91.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.05 MUR 332

44.54%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.57 MUR 121

26.85%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.18 MUR 55.5

81.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.67 MUR 31.34

165.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.66 MUR 125

39.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.87 MUR 229

-22.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.52 MUR 71.7

-24.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.22 MUR 10.37

713.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.14 MUR 53.9

118.42%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.48 MUR 117

57.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$3.90 MUR 184

184.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.34 MUR 299

4.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.06 MUR 521

32.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.12 MUR 99.6

-13.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.19 MUR 103

-6.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.45 MUR 68.1

63.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.90 MUR 137

34.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.95 MUR 44.96

4.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.00 MUR 46.91

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.70 MUR 32.73

125.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.87 MUR 41.10

-22.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.99 MUR 282

32.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$8.62 MUR 406

-27.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.62 MUR 76.5

-21.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.87 MUR 88.2

8.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.87 MUR 41.12

74.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.26 MUR 201

-22.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$3.10 MUR 146

-55.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.42 MUR 302

208.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.35 MUR 63.6

34.81%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$29.5K MUR 1.4M

1.14%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$30.6K MUR 1.4M

10.52%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$44.88 MUR 2,113

281.28%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$10.38 MUR 489

126.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$29.37 MUR 1,383

-20.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$40.56 MUR 1,910

66.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.24 MUR 294

49.04%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$124 MUR 5,855

328.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$3,087 MUR 145.3K

442.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$64.1 MUR 3,016

55.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$53.0 MUR 2,497

-17.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$83.2 MUR 3,916

32.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$58.1 MUR 2,736

104.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$937 MUR 44.1K

-11.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$420 MUR 19.8K

48.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,603 MUR 75.5K

-0.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$839 MUR 39.5K

39.48%

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

$826 MUR 38.9K

100.00%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Tamarin: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Tamarin

$420 41% 32.5% $202

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Tamarin

$200 19.5% 22.5% $58

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Tamarin

$128 12.5% 42.8% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Tamarin

$85 8.3% 61.2% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Tamarin

$116 11.4% 30.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Tamarin

$53 5.2% 38.4% $33

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Tamarin

$23 * 2.3% 47.5% $21

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 $937 in Tamarin. 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 100% 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 $32.00 in Tamarin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $200 – making Tamarin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇺 Tamarin

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

19:11 7:11 PM

2 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

4,371

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Tamarin 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Tamarin

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 Tamarin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 58%, 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 $1,536 in Tamarin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $32.00 in Tamarin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tamarin, where all-in costs run around $1,024, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Tamarin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tamarin – 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 Tamarin. 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.