Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jalalabad and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Jalalabad: $501 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Jalalabad
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Jalalabad Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Jalalabad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$501

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $501 per month in Jalalabad vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Jalalabad $501
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $684 per month in Jalalabad vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Jalalabad $684
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $868 per month in Jalalabad vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Jalalabad $868
Budapest $3,429

Jalalabad is about 69% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Jalalabad sits 63% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ؋146

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-83.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.56 ؋490

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-87.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ؋246

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-62.71%

Cappuccino

$0.75 ؋48.49

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-76.99%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

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)

$0.88 ؋56.9

$1.15 Ft 371

-23.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.37 ؋23.66

$1.79 Ft 578

-79.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 ؋122

$2.49 Ft 804

-24.10%

Eggs

$1.69 ؋110

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-56.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.53 ؋359

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-50.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ؋175

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-59.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.20 ؋402

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-57.79%

Apples (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.26

$1.83 Ft 591

-66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ؋42.08

$2.05 Ft 661

-68.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 ؋51.1

$2.37 Ft 765

-66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 ؋30.89

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-87.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 ؋25.38

$0.99 Ft 320

-60.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 ؋19.38

$1.00 Ft 322

-70.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ؋21.06

$1.58 Ft 511

-79.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ؋19.42

$0.67 Ft 216

-55.22%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.90 ؋253

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 ؋71.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.33 ؋151

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-70.73%

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)

$0.13 ؋8.72

$1.52 Ft 490

-91.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.98 ؋712

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-60.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ؋48.74

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-77.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 ؋28.35

$1.37 Ft 442

-67.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ؋101

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-92.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ؋71.9

$1.82 Ft 589

-39.01%

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

$8,453 ؋548.0K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-71.63%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

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

$23.42 ؋1,518

$171 Ft 55.3K

-86.31%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$233 ؋15.1K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

900.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.62 ؋494

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-88.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.76 ؋308

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-74.80%

Cinema Ticket

$1.56 ؋101

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-83.23%

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

$15.22 ؋987

$533 Ft 172.3K

-97.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,222 ؋79.2K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-92.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.51 ؋1,200

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-81.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.27 ؋990

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-64.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.21 ؋1,505

$110 Ft 35.7K

-78.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.36 ؋1,968

$119 Ft 38.4K

-74.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 ؋7,396

$830 Ft 268.3K

-86.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.83 ؋3,036

$622 Ft 200.9K

-92.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 ؋14.9K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-85.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 ؋8,000

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-89.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$468 ؋30.4K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-91.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$232 ؋15.1K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-94.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 ؋11.9K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-88.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.88

6.45

115.19%

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

Last update for Jalalabad: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jalalabad

$256 * 51.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 15% $39

Groceries & Markets

Jalalabad

$95 18.9%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 173% $163

Accommodation & Living

Jalalabad

$47 9.4%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 1228% $575

Clothing & Footwear

Jalalabad

$39 7.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 326% $128

Eating Out

Jalalabad

$38 * 7.7%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 480% $185

Getting Around

Jalalabad

$14 2.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 206% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Jalalabad

$11 2.2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 702% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $114 in Jalalabad 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 802% 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 $8.00 in Jalalabad versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $95.0 vs $258 – making Jalalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Jalalabad

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

06:51 6:51 AM

2 h 30 min behind Jalalabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,600

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 64.83 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.88 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 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 AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jalalabad Budapest 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Jalalabad
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

Jalalabad vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 223%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $751 per month in Jalalabad 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 Jalalabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 155% less in Jalalabad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $15.22 per month in Jalalabad and $533 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 Jalalabad, where all-in costs run around $501, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Jalalabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jalalabad – 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 Jalalabad. 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.