Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hama and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Hama: $557 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Hama
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Hama Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Hama

🇸🇾 Syria

$557

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $557 per month in Hama vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Hama $557
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $868 per month in Hama vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Hama $868
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $1,180 per month in Hama vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Hama $1,180
Budapest $3,483

Hama is about 66% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hama sits 59% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.62 SYP 926

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-45.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.44 SYP 3,699

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-50.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.70 SYP 329

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-73.96%

Cappuccino

$1.16 SYP 141

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-66.47%

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

$2.26 SYP 275

$2.07 Ft 669

9.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 SYP 106

$1.77 Ft 572

-50.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 SYP 237

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-47.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 SYP 218

$3.80 Ft 1,229

-52.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 SYP 129

$1.16 Ft 374

-8.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 SYP 50.8

$1.85 Ft 598

-77.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 SYP 191

$2.40 Ft 776

-34.58%

Eggs

$1.64 SYP 199

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-58.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.84 SYP 467

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-66.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.57 SYP 677

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-18.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 SYP 1,689

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-4.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 SYP 131

$1.88 Ft 607

-42.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 SYP 173

$2.14 Ft 693

-33.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 SYP 135

$2.30 Ft 744

-51.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 SYP 128

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-74.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 SYP 89.5

$1.02 Ft 329

-27.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 SYP 96.3

$0.99 Ft 320

-20.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 SYP 48.65

$1.58 Ft 510

-74.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 SYP 74.6

$0.70 Ft 225

-12.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 SYP 333

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-65.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.14 SYP 746

$6.18 Ft 1,997

-0.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 SYP 134

$1.24 Ft 401

-11.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 SYP 353

$2.06 Ft 666

41.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 SYP 23.72

$1.59 Ft 513

-87.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 SYP 123

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-70.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 SYP 181

$1.33 Ft 431

12.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 SYP 959

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-61.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.60 SYP 437

$1.93 Ft 624

86.53%

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

$15.0K SYP 1.8M

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-48.63%

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

$19.5K SYP 2.4M

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-43.98%

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

$143 SYP 17.3K

$175 Ft 56.4K

-18.25%

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

$9.32 SYP 1,132

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-60.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.15 SYP 2,814

$23.60 Ft 7,625

-1.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$5.39 SYP 655

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-47.72%

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

$67.9 SYP 8,249

$535 Ft 172.9K

-87.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,747 SYP 212.2K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-89.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.42 SYP 3,454

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-71.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.97 SYP 4,857

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-7.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.9 SYP 7,277

$112 Ft 36.1K

-46.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.8 SYP 7,143

$119 Ft 38.4K

-50.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.25

6.45

120.93%

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

Last update for Hama: October 19, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hama

$175 31.5%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 26.6% $47

Groceries & Markets

Hama

$169 30.3%

Budapest

$262 16% 55.2% $93

Eating Out

Hama

$109 19.6%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 108% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Hama

$84 15.1%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 99.9% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Hama

$11 * 1.9%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 729% $79

Getting Around

Hama

$9.2 * 1.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 377% $35

Accommodation & Living

Hama

- * 0%

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Hama versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $169 vs $262 – making Hama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Hama

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

18:02 6:02 PM

1 h behind Hama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

312,994

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to SYP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hama Budapest 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Hama
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

Hama vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 195%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $835 per month in Hama and $2,461 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Hama and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hama, where all-in costs run around $557, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Hama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hama – 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 Hama. 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.