Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mashhad and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $485 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Mashhad

🇮🇷 Iran

$485

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $485 per month in Mashhad vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Mashhad $485
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $770 per month in Mashhad vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Mashhad $770
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,055 per month in Mashhad vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Mashhad $1,055
Budapest $3,489

Mashhad is about 70% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mashhad sits 64% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 $3.03

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-78.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.20 $18.20

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-69.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 $4.89

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-50.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.59 $0.59

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

Cappuccino

$1.09 $1.09

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-67.75%

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

$0.43 $0.43

$2.13 Ft 692

-79.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 $0.26

$1.87 Ft 608

-86.10%

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)

$0.62 $0.62

$1.13 Ft 368

-45.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.19 $0.19

$1.84 Ft 599

-89.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.39 Ft 777

-15.06%

Eggs

$1.10 $1.10

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-71.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-80.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-58.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.45 $10.45

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-28.86%

Apples (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.84 Ft 597

-47.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.01 Ft 653

-24.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.78 $0.78

$2.36 Ft 767

-66.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.57 $0.57

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-84.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 $0.53

$0.96 Ft 313

-44.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.03 Ft 334

-54.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.56 Ft 509

-69.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.66 Ft 216

-56.06%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.88 $0.88

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 $0.74

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 $3.03

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-61.93%

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)

$0.02 $0.02

$1.50 Ft 489

-98.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.72 $3.72

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-86.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.19 $0.19

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-94.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.30 Ft 424

-62.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 $1.96

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-90.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.81 Ft 591

-54.70%

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

$60.2K $60.2K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

105.32%

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

$66.2K $66.2K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

93.99%

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

$13.58 $13.58

$170 Ft 55.3K

-92.01%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-88.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.42 $27.42

$23.42 Ft 7,621

17.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.38 $19.38

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-70.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.98 $14.98

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-21.90%

Cinema Ticket

$2.03 $2.03

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-78.68%

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

$40.02 $40.02

$537 Ft 174.6K

-92.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$622 $622

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-96.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.92 $19.92

$101 Ft 33.0K

-80.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.69 $38.69

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-10.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 $93.5

$113 Ft 36.7K

-17.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.6 $68.6

$119 Ft 38.6K

-42.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$213 $213

$805 Ft 262.0K

-73.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 $148

$629 Ft 204.7K

-76.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$400 $400

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-74.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$272 $272

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-76.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,125 $1,125

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-79.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$689 $689

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-82.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$252 $252

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-84.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.5

6.43

234.37%

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

Last update for Mashhad: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mashhad

$148 31.1%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 325% $481

Groceries & Markets

Mashhad

$100 21%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 158% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Mashhad

$99 20.9%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 70.2% $70

Eating Out

Mashhad

$55 11.5%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 309% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mashhad

$44 9.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 398% $174

Sport & Entertainment

Mashhad

$23 4.9%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 264% $62

Getting Around

Mashhad

$6.4 1.4%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 574% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $213 in Mashhad 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 544% 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 $18.00 in Mashhad versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $100 vs $258 – making Mashhad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Mashhad

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

03:55 3:55 AM

1 h 30 min behind Mashhad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,001,184

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

USD USD

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 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).

HUF to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Mashhad Budapest 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mashhad
Budapest

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mashhad vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 234%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $727 per month in Mashhad 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 Mashhad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 642% less in Mashhad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $40.02 per month in Mashhad and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mashhad, where all-in costs run around $485, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Mashhad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mashhad – 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 Mashhad. 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.