Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Zagazig

For one person, living is cheaper in Zagazig: $369 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Zagazig
🇪🇬 Egypt
$369
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Zagazig

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $369 in Zagazig, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,619
  • Zagazig $369

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $613 in Zagazig, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,524
  • Zagazig $613

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $857 in Zagazig, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,429
  • Zagazig $857

Budapest costs about 338% more than Zagazig, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Zagazig is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Zagazig
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.94 Ft 4,521
$3.83 E£205
263.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 Ft 19.9K
$15.11 E£808
305.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.19 Ft 3,304
$5.17 E£277
97.10%
Cappuccino
$3.26 Ft 1,059
$0.91 E£48.46
258.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 Ft 693
$0.27 E£14.38
692.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 Ft 579
$0.15 E£7.86
1086.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.71 Ft 1,203
$1.48 E£79.3
150.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.77 Ft 1,222
$2.24 E£120
68.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Zagazig
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 Ft 372
$0.71 E£37.98
61.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 Ft 580
$0.29 E£15.61
517.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 Ft 807
$0.58 E£31.19
329.31%
Eggs
$3.90 Ft 1,266
$1.17 E£62.5
233.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.10 Ft 3,602
$3.83 E£205
189.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 Ft 2,147
$4.13 E£221
60.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,764
$7.79 E£416
88.58%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 Ft 594
$1.36 E£72.8
34.56%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 Ft 664
$0.71 E£38.15
188.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.37 Ft 769
$0.36 E£19.33
558.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.90 Ft 1,265
$0.22 E£11.76
1672.73%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 Ft 322
$0.38 E£20.41
160.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.00 Ft 323
$0.39 E£20.84
156.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 Ft 513
$0.08 E£4.53
1875.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 Ft 217
$0.21 E£11.21
219.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,582
$2.04 E£109
290.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.22 Ft 2,017
$7.53 E£403
-17.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 Ft 413
$1.56 E£83.6
-18.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 Ft 657
$2.11 E£113
-3.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Zagazig
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 Ft 492
$0.14 E£7.37
985.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.02 Ft 9,089
$5.57 E£298
403.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 Ft 1,074
$0.17 E£8.93
1847.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 Ft 444
$0.19 E£10.05
621.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.83 Ft 6,432
$1.55 E£83.0
1179.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 Ft 591
$0.41 E£22.00
343.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K Ft 9.7M
$31.8K E£1.7M
-6.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K Ft 11.0M
$28.3K E£1.5M
19.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Zagazig
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$171 Ft 55.5K
$14.52 E£776
1078.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.51 Ft 7,627
$4.99 E£267
371.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.29 Ft 7,556
$10.52 E£562
121.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Zagazig
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.5 Ft 21.9K
$9.95 E£532
578.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.89 Ft 6,129
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.30 Ft 3,016
$1.96 E£104
374.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Zagazig
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$533 Ft 173.0K
$123 E£6,564
334.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
$3,580 E£191.3K
368.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Zagazig
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.6 Ft 32.3K
$19.04 E£1,018
423.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.49 Ft 14.1K
$51.0 E£2,723
-14.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 Ft 35.8K
$114 E£6,117
-3.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.6K
$17.29 E£924
588.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Zagazig
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$830 Ft 269.4K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 Ft 201.7K
$38.55 E£2,060
1513.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,594 Ft 516.9K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,170 Ft 379.6K
$95.3 E£5,092
1128.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
$282 E£15.1K
1276.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Zagazig
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,651 Ft 535.6K
$157 E£8,406
949.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.45
10
-35.50%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zagazig: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$622
Zagazig
$39 93.8% $583
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Zagazig
$118 54.2% $140
Eating Out
Budapest
$223
Zagazig
$71 68.3% $152
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$218
Zagazig
$30 86.2% $188
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$168
Zagazig
$91 45.8% $77
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$86
Zagazig
$14 83.9% $72
Getting Around
Budapest
$44
Zagazig
$7.2 83.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 950% 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 $15.00 in Zagazig. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $118 – making Zagazig the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇪🇬 Zagazig
🕒 Local time
00:12 12:12 AM
01:12 1:12 AM
1 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
285,097
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 53.44 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 59.91 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Zagazig 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Zagazig

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 Zagazig: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zagazig cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 338%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $554 in Zagazig. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 403% less in Zagazig. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $123 in Zagazig. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Zagazig?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zagazig, where all-in costs run around $369, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Zagazig it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Zagazig more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Zagazig – 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 Zagazig?
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 Zagazig. 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.

Budapest vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?