Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Budapest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cairo and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Cairo $643
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Budapest $3,489

Cairo is about 60% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-66.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-52.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£316

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-39.46%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.8

$3.38 Ft 1,102

-46.45%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$2.13 Ft 693

-83.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$1.87 Ft 609

-91.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-61.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$3.57 Ft 1,163

-37.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.13 Ft 369

-14.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.97

$1.84 Ft 600

-60.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.25

$2.39 Ft 777

-67.78%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-69.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-61.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$6.74 Ft 2,194

-24.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-39.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$1.84 Ft 598

-0.54%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.08

$2.01 Ft 654

-62.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$2.36 Ft 767

-75.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.63

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-86.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.06

$0.96 Ft 314

-60.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.89

$1.03 Ft 335

-59.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$1.56 Ft 509

-77.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.66 Ft 216

-63.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-75.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$6.01 Ft 1,956

24.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$1.30 Ft 422

16.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$2.08 Ft 677

2.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$1.50 Ft 490

-78.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$27.61 Ft 8,991

-68.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-88.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$1.30 Ft 424

-84.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-92.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.95

$1.81 Ft 591

-74.59%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

11.25%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-16.75%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$170 Ft 55.3K

-83.79%

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

$8.27 E£433

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-65.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$23.42 Ft 7,628

-40.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,480

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-57.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-65.07%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$9.52 Ft 3,101

-53.78%

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

$121 E£6,357

$537 Ft 174.8K

-77.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.4K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-78.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,102

$101 Ft 33.0K

-60.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

15.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,034

$113 Ft 36.7K

2.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$119 Ft 38.7K

-48.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$805 Ft 262.2K

-72.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$629 Ft 204.9K

-69.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-66.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-71.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-85.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-87.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-87.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

6.43

152.10%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 224% $435

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 82.3% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 41.5% $50

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 146% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 336% $167

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 130% $48

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 283% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $805 in Budapest. 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 712% 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 $28.00 in Cairo versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $258 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

04:21 4:21 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.33 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.69 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Budapest 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Budapest

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

Cairo vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 152%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 219% less in Cairo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $121 per month in Cairo and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – 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 Cairo. 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.