Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Tartus

For one person, living is cheaper in Tartus: $637 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Tartus
🇸🇾 Syria
$637
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Tartus

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $637 in Tartus, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,619
  • Tartus $637

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $991 in Tartus, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,524
  • Tartus $991

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,345 in Tartus, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,429
  • Tartus $1,345

Budapest costs about 154% more than Tartus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Tartus is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Tartus
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.94 Ft 4,503
$10.13 SYP 1,231
37.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
$42.29 SYP 5,139
44.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.19 Ft 3,291
$6.90 SYP 838
47.68%
Cappuccino
$3.26 Ft 1,055
$3.70 SYP 450
-11.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 Ft 690
$2.29 SYP 279
-6.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 Ft 577
$0.89 SYP 108
100.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.71 Ft 1,198
$1.96 SYP 238
89.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.77 Ft 1,217
$3.90 SYP 474
-3.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Tartus
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 Ft 371
$0.48 SYP 58.3
139.58%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 Ft 578
$0.41 SYP 50.2
336.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 Ft 804
$0.80 SYP 97.6
211.25%
Eggs
$3.90 Ft 1,261
$0.79 SYP 96.1
393.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.10 Ft 3,587
$3.88 SYP 471
186.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 Ft 2,139
$3.14 SYP 381
110.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,745
$13.62 SYP 1,655
7.86%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 Ft 591
$1.07 SYP 130
71.03%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 Ft 661
$1.36 SYP 166
50.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.37 Ft 765
$1.14 SYP 138
107.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.90 Ft 1,260
$0.22 SYP 26.60
1672.73%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 Ft 320
$0.22 SYP 26.68
350.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.00 Ft 322
$0.30 SYP 36.27
233.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 Ft 511
$0.41 SYP 49.80
285.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 Ft 216
$0.61 SYP 74.7
9.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,572
$2.75 SYP 334
189.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.22 Ft 2,009
$6.09 SYP 740
2.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 Ft 411
$1.11 SYP 135
14.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 Ft 654
$2.83 SYP 343
-28.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Tartus
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 Ft 490
$0.30 SYP 36.12
406.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.02 Ft 9,053
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 Ft 1,070
$1.03 SYP 125
221.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 Ft 442
$1.48 SYP 180
-7.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.83 Ft 6,406
$7.62 SYP 925
160.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 Ft 589
$3.72 SYP 452
-51.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
$14.9K SYP 1.8M
99.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
$19.5K SYP 2.4M
73.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Tartus
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$171 Ft 55.3K
$141 SYP 17.1K
21.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.51 Ft 7,596
$9.90 SYP 1,204
137.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.29 Ft 7,526
$19.67 SYP 2,390
18.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Tartus
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
$5.74 SYP 697
1076.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.89 Ft 6,104
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.30 Ft 3,004
$5.37 SYP 653
73.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Tartus
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$533 Ft 172.3K
$9.36 SYP 1,137
5597.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
$1,772 SYP 215.3K
845.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Tartus
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
$11.62 SYP 1,412
757.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
$40.15 SYP 4,879
8.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 Ft 35.7K
$45.36 SYP 5,513
143.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.4K
$15.54 SYP 1,888
665.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Tartus
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$830 Ft 268.3K
$114 SYP 13.9K
627.22%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 Ft 200.9K
$77.5 SYP 9,415
702.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
$230 SYP 28.0K
591.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
$116 SYP 14.1K
910.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Tartus
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
$49.08 SYP 5,964
3264.16%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.45
14.25
-54.74%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Tartus: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$622
Tartus
$77 87.5% $544
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Tartus
$136 47.2% $122
Eating Out
Budapest
$223
Tartus
$176 20.9% $47
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$218
Tartus
$170 21.8% $48
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$168
Tartus
$51 69.7% $117
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$86
Tartus
$16 80.9% $70
Getting Around
Budapest
$44
Tartus
$9.6 * 78.3% $35

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 $114 in Tartus. 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 3264% 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 $42.00 in Tartus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $136 – making Tartus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇸🇾 Tartus
🕒 Local time
19:33 7:33 PM
20:33 8:33 PM
1 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
115,769
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

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).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Tartus 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Tartus

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 Tartus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tartus cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 154%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $956 in Tartus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tartus, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Budapest or in Tartus?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $42.00 in Tartus. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Budapest and in Tartus?
Groceries cost about 89% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Tartus?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tartus, where all-in costs run around $637, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Tartus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Tartus more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Tartus – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Tartus?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Tartus. 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.

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