Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maseru and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Maseru: $667 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Maseru
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Maseru Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Maseru

🇱🇸 Lesotho

$667

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $667 per month in Maseru vs $1,647 in Budapest, rent included.

Maseru $667
Budapest $1,647

A couple spends around $1,121 per month in Maseru vs $2,567 in Budapest, rent included.

Maseru $1,121
Budapest $2,567

A family of three spends $1,575 per month in Maseru vs $3,488 in Budapest, rent included.

Maseru $1,575
Budapest $3,488

Maseru is about 60% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Maseru sits 51% below the global median, while Budapest is 22% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.99 LSL 149

$13.63 Ft 4,419

-34.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.12 LSL 401

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

-60.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.50 LSL 141

$10.02 Ft 3,248

-15.17%

Cappuccino

$1.95 LSL 32.48

$3.33 Ft 1,078

-41.44%

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

$1.08 LSL 17.99

$2.12 Ft 686

-49.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 LSL 13.62

$1.80 Ft 583

-54.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 LSL 30.40

$3.61 Ft 1,169

-49.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 LSL 41.05

$3.59 Ft 1,163

-31.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 LSL 19.56

$1.12 Ft 362

5.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 LSL 14.14

$1.93 Ft 624

-55.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 LSL 30.32

$2.49 Ft 806

-26.91%

Eggs

$1.49 LSL 24.83

$3.94 Ft 1,278

-62.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.73 LSL 112

$11.28 Ft 3,656

-40.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.16 LSL 102

$6.73 Ft 2,183

-8.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.10 LSL 101

$14.44 Ft 4,682

-57.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 LSL 31.47

$1.86 Ft 603

1.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 LSL 37.70

$2.04 Ft 660

11.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 LSL 46.34

$2.29 Ft 742

21.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 LSL 40.73

$3.99 Ft 1,294

-38.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 LSL 26.57

$0.94 Ft 305

70.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 LSL 27.54

$1.02 Ft 331

62.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 LSL 25.32

$1.65 Ft 536

-7.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 LSL 12.76

$0.68 Ft 221

13.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.97 LSL 82.6

$7.81 Ft 2,533

-36.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 LSL 123

$6.02 Ft 1,952

23.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 LSL 17.07

$1.29 Ft 419

-20.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 LSL 24.35

$2.02 Ft 656

-27.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 LSL 13.29

$1.50 Ft 485

-46.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.49 LSL 490

$27.13 Ft 8,792

8.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 LSL 12.32

$3.36 Ft 1,088

-77.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 LSL 10.56

$1.37 Ft 445

-53.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 LSL 59.6

$19.96 Ft 6,468

-82.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 LSL 22.38

$1.86 Ft 604

-27.42%

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

$21.1K LSL 350.3K

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

-26.09%

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

$16.4K LSL 272.1K

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

-50.95%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

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

$14.22 LSL 236

$23.58 Ft 7,643

-39.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.93 LSL 647

$24.12 Ft 7,817

61.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.21 LSL 386

$69.7 Ft 22.6K

-66.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,520

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,397

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

$51.4 LSL 854

$625 Ft 202.6K

-91.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,161 LSL 19.3K

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

-94.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.03 LSL 782

$102 Ft 33.1K

-53.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 LSL 909

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

25.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 LSL 1,703

$110 Ft 35.6K

-6.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 LSL 2,532

$121 Ft 39.1K

26.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$94.2 LSL 1,566

$845 Ft 274.0K

-88.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$55.1 LSL 916

$638 Ft 206.9K

-91.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$428 LSL 7,120

$1,609 Ft 521.5K

-73.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 LSL 2,838

$1,217 Ft 394.5K

-85.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$389 LSL 6,471

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

-92.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$523 LSL 8,690

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

-86.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$625 LSL 10.4K

$1,724 Ft 559.0K

-63.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

6.34

34.07%

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

Last update for Maseru: November 2, 2026

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maseru

$196 29.3%

Budapest

$260 15.8% 32.8% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Maseru

$160 24.1%

Budapest

$169 10.3% 5.4% $8.7

Eating Out

Maseru

$143 21.4%

Budapest

$220 13.4% 54.2% $77

Accommodation & Living

Maseru

$55 8.3%

Budapest

$638 38.8% 1058% $583

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maseru

$53 * 8%

Budapest

$226 13.7% 325% $173

Getting Around

Maseru

$37 5.5%

Budapest

$43 2.6% 18.4% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Maseru

$23 * 3.5%

Budapest

$91 5.5% 291% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $94 in Maseru versus $845 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 in Budapest are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Maseru versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $260 – making Maseru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇸 Maseru

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

01:36 1:36 AM

1 h behind Maseru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

227,880 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Lesotho Loti LSL L

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 LSL = 6.02 USD

100 LSL = 5.36 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to LSL – Lesotho Loti Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇸 Lesotho Loti (L)

Lesotho Loti exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.62 LSL (100 LSL = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 LSL (100 LSL = 5.36 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to LSL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maseru Budapest 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Maseru
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

Maseru vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 147%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,000 per month in Maseru and $2,471 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maseru, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $94 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $51 per month in Maseru and $625 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Maseru, where all-in costs run around $667, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Maseru it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Maseru – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Maseru. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.