Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malatya and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Malatya: $690 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Malatya
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Malatya Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Malatya

🇹🇷 Turkey

$690

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $690 per month in Malatya vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Malatya $690
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,039 per month in Malatya vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Malatya $1,039
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,389 per month in Malatya vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Malatya $1,389
Budapest $3,429

Malatya is about 57% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Malatya sits 49% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.67 ₺231

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-66.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.82 ₺1,278

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-57.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 ₺345

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-31.70%

Cappuccino

$1.64 ₺81.1

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-49.69%

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

$0.92 ₺45.75

$2.14 Ft 690

-57.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₺14.35

$1.78 Ft 577

-83.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 ₺114

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-38.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ₺173

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-7.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ₺39.72

$1.15 Ft 371

-30.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 ₺38.78

$1.79 Ft 578

-56.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 ₺133

$2.49 Ft 804

7.63%

Eggs

$1.77 ₺87.4

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-54.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.94 ₺393

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-28.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.41 ₺119

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-63.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.71 ₺827

$14.69 Ft 4,745

13.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 ₺78.8

$1.83 Ft 591

-13.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ₺75.8

$2.05 Ft 661

-25.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 ₺41.57

$2.37 Ft 765

-64.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.76 ₺37.60

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-80.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 ₺21.62

$0.99 Ft 320

-55.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 ₺17.02

$1.00 Ft 322

-66.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 ₺26.06

$1.58 Ft 511

-66.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ₺22.26

$0.67 Ft 216

-32.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 ₺98.6

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-75.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.97 ₺592

$6.22 Ft 2,009

92.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₺97.8

$1.27 Ft 411

55.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 ₺112

$2.03 Ft 654

10.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ₺13.26

$1.52 Ft 490

-82.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 ₺44.07

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-73.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ₺22.51

$1.37 Ft 442

-67.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ₺66.8

$1.82 Ft 589

-25.82%

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

$37.8K ₺1.9M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

26.96%

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

$36.8K ₺1.8M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

8.73%

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

$30.31 ₺1,501

$171 Ft 55.3K

-82.29%

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

$9.97 ₺494

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-57.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.28 ₺707

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-38.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.88 ₺1,727

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-48.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 ₺262

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-43.12%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.28 ₺756

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-84.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.1 ₺3,520

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

63.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.7 ₺2,512

$110 Ft 35.7K

-54.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.33 ₺1,502

$119 Ft 38.4K

-74.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$317 ₺15.7K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-61.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 ₺10.7K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-65.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 ₺21.3K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-73.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 ₺14.7K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-74.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$921 ₺45.6K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-44.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

566.67%

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

Last update for Malatya: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malatya

$217 31.5%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 187% $405

Groceries & Markets

Malatya

$192 27.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 34.5% $66

Eating Out

Malatya

$101 14.7%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 120% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Malatya

$75 10.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 122% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malatya

$55 7.9%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 299% $163

Sport & Entertainment

Malatya

$45 6.6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 89.4% $41

Getting Around

Malatya

$4.2 * 0.6%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 946% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $317 in Malatya 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 79% 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 $26.00 in Malatya versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $258 – making Malatya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Malatya

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

1 h behind Malatya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

781,305

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Malatya Budapest 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Malatya
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

Malatya vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 135%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,035 per month in Malatya 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 Malatya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Malatya and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malatya, where all-in costs run around $690, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Malatya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Malatya – 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 Malatya. 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.