Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hulhumale and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Hulhumale: $1,450 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Budapest despite lower rent and utilities.

70

Cost of Living Index in Hulhumale
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Hulhumale Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Hulhumale

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,450

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,450 per month in Hulhumale vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Hulhumale $1,450
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Hulhumale vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Hulhumale $2,606
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,762 per month in Hulhumale vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Hulhumale $3,762
Budapest $3,489

Hulhumale is about 11% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hulhumale and Budapest sit above the global median – Hulhumale by 8%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.15 MVR 94.9

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-56.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.70 MVR 597

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-35.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.60 MVR 148

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-3.61%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 MVR 73.6

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 MVR 76.5

Cappuccino

$3.56 MVR 54.8

$3.38 Ft 1,100

5.33%

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

$1.61 MVR 24.81

$2.13 Ft 692

-24.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 MVR 4.83

$1.87 Ft 608

-83.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MVR 24.63

$1.13 Ft 368

41.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 MVR 25.27

$1.84 Ft 599

-10.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.33 MVR 5.11

$2.39 Ft 777

-86.19%

Eggs

$1.85 MVR 28.55

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-51.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.30 MVR 50.8

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-70.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 MVR 95.2

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-8.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 MVR 148

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-34.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 MVR 60.3

$1.84 Ft 597

112.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 MVR 47.48

$2.01 Ft 653

53.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 MVR 43.56

$2.36 Ft 767

19.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 MVR 41.71

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-28.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 MVR 18.88

$0.96 Ft 313

27.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 MVR 17.10

$1.03 Ft 334

7.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 MVR 32.72

$1.56 Ft 509

35.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MVR 9.50

$0.66 Ft 216

-6.06%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.11 MVR 187

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 MVR 41.25

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 MVR 30.94

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.87 MVR 198

$7.96 Ft 2,591

61.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 MVR 29.12

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-42.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 MVR 29.39

$1.30 Ft 424

46.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.07 MVR 155

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-49.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 MVR 15.12

$1.81 Ft 591

-45.86%

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

$33.0K MVR 508.2K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

12.38%

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

$29.5K MVR 455.6K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-13.37%

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

$102 MVR 1,568

$170 Ft 55.3K

-40.17%

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

$30.38 MVR 469

$23.98 Ft 7,802

26.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.4 MVR 1,117

$23.42 Ft 7,621

209.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 MVR 151

$9.52 Ft 3,098

3.15%

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

$186 MVR 2,863

$537 Ft 174.6K

-65.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,007 MVR 46.4K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-81.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.95 MVR 601

$101 Ft 33.0K

-61.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 MVR 775

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

16.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 MVR 1,340

$113 Ft 36.7K

-22.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.6 MVR 796

$119 Ft 38.6K

-56.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,118 MVR 17.2K

$805 Ft 262.0K

38.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$786 MVR 12.1K

$629 Ft 204.7K

24.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 MVR 35.0K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

46.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 MVR 35.4K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

96.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,453 MVR 84.1K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-2.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$506 MVR 7,802

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-87.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 MVR 10.9K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-56.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

117.73%

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

Last update for Hulhumale: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hulhumale

$786 54.3%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 20% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hulhumale

$204 14.1%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 6.3% $13

Groceries & Markets

Hulhumale

$195 13.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 31.9% $62

Eating Out

Hulhumale

$128 8.9%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 74.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Hulhumale

$102 7.1%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 65% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Hulhumale

$20 * 1.4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 334% $66

Getting Around

Hulhumale

$11 * 0.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 280% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,118 in Hulhumale 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 129% 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 $39.00 in Hulhumale versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $258 – making Hulhumale the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇻 Hulhumale

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

10:51 10:51 AM

3 h behind Hulhumale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.78 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇻 Maldivian Rufiyaa (Rf)

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.29 MVR (100 MVR = 5.78 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 MVR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hulhumale Budapest 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Hulhumale
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

Hulhumale vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,175 per month in Hulhumale 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 Hulhumale, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Hulhumale and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hulhumale, where all-in costs run around $1,450, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Hulhumale it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hulhumale – 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 Hulhumale. 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.