Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ha'il and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha'il: $1,040 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Ha'il
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Ha'il Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Ha'il

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,040

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,040 per month in Ha'il vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Ha'il $1,040
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Ha'il vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Ha'il $1,589
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,139 per month in Ha'il vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Ha'il $2,139
Budapest $3,429

Ha'il is about 36% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ha'il sits 23% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.47 SAR 20.52

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-60.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.36 SAR 140

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-38.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 SAR 22.05

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-42.30%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SAR 8.73

Cappuccino

$2.60 SAR 9.76

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-20.25%

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

$0.61 SAR 2.29

$2.14 Ft 690

-71.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 SAR 0.90

$1.78 Ft 577

-86.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SAR 6.47

$1.15 Ft 371

49.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 SAR 3.17

$1.79 Ft 578

-53.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 SAR 6.87

$2.49 Ft 804

-26.51%

Eggs

$1.88 SAR 7.05

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-51.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.81 SAR 25.56

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-38.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 SAR 31.96

$6.62 Ft 2,139

28.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.55 SAR 32.10

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-41.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

$1.83 Ft 591

-14.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.91

$2.05 Ft 661

-22.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 SAR 4.90

$2.37 Ft 765

-44.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 SAR 7.61

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-47.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 SAR 4.95

$0.99 Ft 320

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.06

$1.00 Ft 322

62.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 SAR 4.60

$1.58 Ft 511

-22.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 SAR 1.83

$0.67 Ft 216

-26.87%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.02 SAR 11.35

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 SAR 7.65

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.73 SAR 25.25

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-15.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 SAR 3.93

$1.52 Ft 490

-30.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.18 SAR 136

$28.02 Ft 9,053

29.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 SAR 10.07

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-19.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 SAR 7.06

$1.37 Ft 442

37.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.58 SAR 50.9

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-31.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 SAR 2.27

$1.82 Ft 589

-66.48%

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

$44.7K SAR 167.8K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

50.11%

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

$21.6K SAR 81.0K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-36.15%

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

$52.7 SAR 198

$171 Ft 55.3K

-69.23%

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

$21.32 SAR 80.0

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-9.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.59 SAR 179

$23.29 Ft 7,526

104.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.4 SAR 253

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-0.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.99 SAR 101

$18.89 Ft 6,104

42.88%

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 SAR 55.7

$9.30 Ft 3,004

59.68%

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

$414 SAR 1,554

$533 Ft 172.3K

-22.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,887 SAR 29.6K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-52.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.06 SAR 162

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-56.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 SAR 205

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

25.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.6 SAR 363

$110 Ft 35.7K

-12.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.9 SAR 330

$119 Ft 38.4K

-26.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$245 SAR 918

$830 Ft 268.3K

-70.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 SAR 1,373

$622 Ft 200.9K

-41.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$362 SAR 1,359

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-77.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 SAR 2,123

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-51.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,369 SAR 8,890

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-59.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,359 SAR 5,099

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-65.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,087 SAR 4,080

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-34.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

6.45

-14.11%

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

Last update for Ha'il: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ha'il

$366 35.2%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 70% $256

Groceries & Markets

Ha'il

$180 17.3%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 43.5% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Ha'il

$127 12.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 32% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ha'il

$122 11.7%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 79.3% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Ha'il

$97 9.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 11.3% $11

Eating Out

Ha'il

$96 9.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 132% $127

Getting Around

Ha'il

$52 5.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 15.7% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $245 in Ha'il versus $830 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 52% 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 $37.00 in Ha'il versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $258 – making Ha'il the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ha'il

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

20:05 8:05 PM

1 h behind Ha'il

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

310,897

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

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Between locations

Ha'il Budapest 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ha'il
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

Ha'il vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,560 per month in Ha'il and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 29% less in Ha'il. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $414 per month in Ha'il and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ha'il, where all-in costs run around $1,040, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ha'il it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ha'il – 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 Ha'il. 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.