Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeddah and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeddah: $1,360 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,360

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,360 per month in Jeddah vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Jeddah $1,360
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,168 per month in Jeddah vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Jeddah $2,168
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,975 per month in Jeddah vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Jeddah $2,975
Budapest $3,489

Jeddah is about 16% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Jeddah and Budapest sit above the global median – Jeddah by 2%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.04 SAR 22.68

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-56.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.8 SAR 300

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

32.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 SAR 32.85

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-12.15%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 SAR 9.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 SAR 9.88

Cappuccino

$3.77 SAR 14.16

$3.38 Ft 1,100

11.54%

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

$0.97 SAR 3.65

$2.13 Ft 692

-54.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 SAR 0.90

$1.87 Ft 608

-87.17%

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)

$1.67 SAR 6.28

$1.13 Ft 368

47.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 SAR 4.99

$1.84 Ft 599

-27.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.89

$2.39 Ft 777

-0.84%

Eggs

$2.48 SAR 9.31

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-35.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.36 SAR 23.89

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-43.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.00 SAR 30.02

$6.74 Ft 2,192

18.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.31 SAR 49.98

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-9.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 SAR 7.90

$1.84 Ft 597

14.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

$2.01 Ft 653

-11.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 SAR 5.80

$2.36 Ft 767

-34.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-55.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 SAR 4.26

$0.96 Ft 313

17.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$1.03 Ft 334

25.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 SAR 4.22

$1.56 Ft 509

-28.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 SAR 1.87

$0.66 Ft 216

-24.24%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.23 SAR 15.90

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 SAR 6.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 SAR 9.70

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.86 SAR 25.77

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-13.82%

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)

$0.89 SAR 3.35

$1.50 Ft 489

-40.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 SAR 208

$27.61 Ft 8,982

100.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 SAR 11.69

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-5.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

$1.30 Ft 424

36.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.12 SAR 53.0

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-28.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 SAR 2.21

$1.81 Ft 591

-67.40%

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

$47.7K SAR 179.0K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

62.53%

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

$21.4K SAR 80.4K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-37.20%

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

$90.3 SAR 339

$170 Ft 55.3K

-46.85%

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

$39.04 SAR 147

$23.98 Ft 7,802

62.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.9 SAR 255

$23.42 Ft 7,621

189.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.6 SAR 299

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

20.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.23 SAR 144

$19.18 Ft 6,239

99.32%

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 SAR 45.22

$9.52 Ft 3,098

26.47%

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

$757 SAR 2,841

$537 Ft 174.6K

40.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K SAR 61.1K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-2.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.8 SAR 277

$101 Ft 33.0K

-27.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 SAR 210

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

30.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 SAR 380

$113 Ft 36.7K

-10.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 SAR 354

$119 Ft 38.6K

-20.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$790 SAR 2,966

$805 Ft 262.0K

-1.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 SAR 2,009

$629 Ft 204.7K

-14.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 SAR 5,323

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-8.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$817 SAR 3,070

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-29.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,777 SAR 6,673

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-68.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 SAR 4,291

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-71.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,646 SAR 6,180

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

1.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

6.43

-16.17%

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

Last update for Jeddah: 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

Jeddah

$535 38.8%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 17.6% $94

Groceries & Markets

Jeddah

$201 14.6%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 28.4% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeddah

$197 14.3%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 10.2% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Jeddah

$146 10.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 15.5% $23

Eating Out

Jeddah

$125 9%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 79.9% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Jeddah

$104 7.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 17.8% $18

Getting Around

Jeddah

$71 5.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 38.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $790 in Jeddah 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 1% higher in Jeddah, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Jeddah versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Jeddah vs $258 in Budapest – so Jeddah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

12:24 12:24 PM

1 h behind Jeddah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,430,697

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.238 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 SAR in detail →

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Jeddah Budapest 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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

Jeddah vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,040 per month in Jeddah 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 Jeddah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 101% less in Jeddah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $757 per month in Jeddah 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 Jeddah, where all-in costs run around $1,360, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Jeddah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jeddah – 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 Jeddah. 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.