Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahé and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,799 in Mahé, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Mahé
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Mahé Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Mahé

🇸🇨 Seychelles

$1,799

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,799 per month in Mahé vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Mahé $1,799
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,618 per month in Mahé vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Mahé $2,618
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,438 per month in Mahé vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Mahé $3,438
Budapest $3,489

Mahé costs about 11% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Mahé and Budapest sit above the global median – Mahé by 34%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 SCR 254

$13.99 Ft 4,551

25.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 SCR 1,564

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

78.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.66 SCR 82.0

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-43.17%

Cappuccino

$6.59 SCR 95.4

$3.38 Ft 1,100

94.97%

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

$1.62 SCR 23.47

$2.13 Ft 692

-23.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.68 SCR 184

$3.75 Ft 1,221

238.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.10 SCR 132

$3.57 Ft 1,162

154.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 SCR 22.84

$1.13 Ft 368

39.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 SCR 15.83

$1.84 Ft 599

-40.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 SCR 26.66

$2.39 Ft 777

-23.01%

Eggs

$4.29 SCR 62.1

$3.83 Ft 1,245

12.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.89 SCR 230

$11.33 Ft 3,686

40.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.28 SCR 120

$6.74 Ft 2,192

22.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 SCR 188

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-11.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 SCR 29.93

$1.84 Ft 597

12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 SCR 35.04

$2.36 Ft 767

2.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.59 SCR 95.4

$3.77 Ft 1,226

74.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 SCR 15.33

$0.96 Ft 313

10.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 SCR 15.23

$1.03 Ft 334

1.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 SCR 15.81

$1.56 Ft 509

-30.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.50 SCR 210

$7.96 Ft 2,591

82.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SCR 31.75

$2.08 Ft 676

5.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 SCR 11.03

$1.50 Ft 489

-49.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.50 SCR 514

$27.61 Ft 8,982

28.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.40 SCR 209

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-27.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 SCR 21.40

$1.81 Ft 591

-18.23%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

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

$49.22 SCR 713

$170 Ft 55.3K

-71.04%

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

$21.81 SCR 316

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-9.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$105 SCR 1,523

$23.42 Ft 7,621

348.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 SCR 766

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-20.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$6.26 SCR 90.6

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-34.24%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.88 SCR 433

$101 Ft 33.0K

-70.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.99 SCR 174

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-72.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.18 SCR 683

$113 Ft 36.7K

-58.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.8 SCR 851

$119 Ft 38.6K

-50.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$871 SCR 12.6K

$805 Ft 262.0K

8.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 SCR 12.2K

$629 Ft 204.7K

33.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,772 SCR 25.7K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

14.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 SCR 15.3K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-9.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$855 SCR 12.4K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-47.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

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

Last update for Mahé: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mahé

$842 47.9%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 25.3% $213

Eating Out

Mahé

$324 * 18.5%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 30.9% $100

Groceries & Markets

Mahé

$246 * 14%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 4.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahé

$176 10%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 23.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Mahé

$67 3.8%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 154% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Mahé

$65 3.7%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 30.3% $20

Getting Around

Mahé

$39 * 2.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 12.7% $4.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $871 in Mahé 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 90% higher in Budapest, 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 $108 in Mahé versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $246 in Mahé vs $258 in Budapest – so Mahé wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇨 Mahé

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

08:14 8:14 AM

2 h behind Mahé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,539

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Seychellois Rupee SCR ₨

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 SCR = 6.91 USD

100 SCR = 6.16 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to SCR – Seychellois Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇨 Seychellois Rupee (₨)

Seychellois Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 14.48 SCR (100 SCR = 6.91 USD). 1 EUR = 16.24 SCR (100 SCR = 6.16 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 SCR in detail →

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Between locations

Mahé Budapest 6,810 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahé
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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

Mahé vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mahé is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,698 per month in Mahé 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 Budapest, 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 Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Mahé – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Mahé at $1,799. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mahé it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mahé makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.