Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Damascus and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Damascus: $871 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Damascus
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Damascus Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Damascus

🇸🇾 Syria

$871

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Damascus 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 Damascus and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $871 per month in Damascus vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Damascus $871
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Damascus vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Damascus $1,395
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,920 per month in Damascus vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Damascus $1,920
Budapest $3,489

Damascus is about 46% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Damascus sits 35% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.87 SYP 1,200

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-29.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.24 SYP 5,133

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-30.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 SYP 830

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-31.43%

Cappuccino

$3.75 SYP 456

$3.38 Ft 1,100

10.95%

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

$2.30 SYP 279

$2.13 Ft 692

7.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 SYP 108

$1.87 Ft 608

-52.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 SYP 241

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-47.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 SYP 472

$3.57 Ft 1,162

8.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 SYP 132

$1.13 Ft 368

-4.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 SYP 50.9

$1.84 Ft 599

-77.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 SYP 184

$2.39 Ft 777

-36.40%

Eggs

$1.63 SYP 198

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-57.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.93 SYP 478

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-65.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.84 SYP 709

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-13.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 SYP 1,682

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-5.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 SYP 125

$1.84 Ft 597

-44.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 SYP 171

$2.01 Ft 653

-29.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 SYP 134

$2.36 Ft 767

-53.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 SYP 129

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-71.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 SYP 90.0

$0.96 Ft 313

-22.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 SYP 96.4

$1.03 Ft 334

-23.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 SYP 49.31

$1.56 Ft 509

-73.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 SYP 76.0

$0.66 Ft 216

-4.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 SYP 341

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-64.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.98 SYP 727

$6.01 Ft 1,954

-0.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 SYP 134

$1.30 Ft 421

-15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 SYP 346

$2.08 Ft 676

37.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 SYP 28.03

$1.50 Ft 489

-84.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.93 SYP 1,206

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-64.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 SYP 125

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-68.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 SYP 186

$1.30 Ft 424

17.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.59 SYP 923

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-61.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.61 SYP 439

$1.81 Ft 591

99.45%

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

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-48.66%

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

$19.5K SYP 2.4M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-42.96%

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

$139 SYP 16.9K

$170 Ft 55.3K

-18.30%

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

$9.84 SYP 1,196

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-58.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.66 SYP 5,548

$23.42 Ft 7,621

94.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.55 SYP 3,470

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-56.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.47 SYP 1,029

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-55.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.64 SYP 685

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-40.76%

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

$67.7 SYP 8,221

$537 Ft 174.6K

-87.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,816 SYP 220.7K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-89.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.35 SYP 3,445

$101 Ft 33.0K

-72.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.84 SYP 4,841

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-7.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 SYP 7,224

$113 Ft 36.7K

-47.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 SYP 6,955

$119 Ft 38.6K

-51.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 SYP 63.9K

$805 Ft 262.0K

-34.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 SYP 22.6K

$629 Ft 204.7K

-70.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$840 SYP 102.1K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-45.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 SYP 56.9K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-59.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,742 SYP 211.7K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-69.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$607 SYP 73.8K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-84.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$73.4 SYP 8,916

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-95.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.25

6.43

121.62%

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

Last update for Damascus: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Damascus

$194 22.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 11.8% $23

Accommodation & Living

Damascus

$186 21.4%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 239% $443

Eating Out

Damascus

$175 20.2%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 28.2% $49

Groceries & Markets

Damascus

$170 19.6%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 52% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Damascus

$83 9.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 103% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Damascus

$40 4.6%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 114% $45

Getting Around

Damascus

$20 2.3%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 122% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Damascus 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 2116% 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 $42.00 in Damascus versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $170 vs $258 – making Damascus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Damascus

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

07:03 7:03 AM

1 h behind Damascus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,414,913 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.34 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇾 Syrian Pound (£)

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.34 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to SYP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Damascus Budapest 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Damascus
Budapest

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Damascus vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 86%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,306 per month in Damascus 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 Damascus, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 178% less in Damascus. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $67.7 per month in Damascus and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Damascus, where all-in costs run around $871, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Damascus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Damascus – 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 Damascus. 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.