Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazar-i-Sharif and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $297 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Mazar-i-Sharif
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Mazar-i-Sharif Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$297

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $297 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Mazar-i-Sharif $297
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $470 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Mazar-i-Sharif $470
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $643 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Mazar-i-Sharif $643
Budapest $3,489

Mazar-i-Sharif is about 82% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mazar-i-Sharif sits 78% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.31 ؋149

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-83.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.68 ؋1,015

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-74.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 ؋252

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-60.84%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 ؋487

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 ؋503

Cappuccino

$1.19 ؋77.3

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-64.79%

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

$0.56 ؋36.07

$2.13 Ft 692

-73.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ؋20.97

$1.87 Ft 608

-82.89%

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)

$0.60 ؋38.87

$1.13 Ft 368

-46.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.15 ؋9.41

$1.84 Ft 599

-91.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ؋139

$2.39 Ft 777

-10.04%

Eggs

$1.59 ؋103

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-58.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 ؋513

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-30.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ؋218

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-50.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.23 ؋404

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-57.59%

Apples (1kg)

$0.59 ؋38.23

$1.84 Ft 597

-67.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 ؋76.0

$2.01 Ft 653

-41.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 ؋52.6

$2.36 Ft 767

-65.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.57

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-83.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ؋33.06

$0.96 Ft 313

-46.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ؋25.83

$1.03 Ft 334

-61.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 ؋33.75

$1.56 Ft 509

-66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ؋20.76

$0.66 Ft 216

-51.52%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 ؋118

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.56 ؋101

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-80.40%

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)

$0.80 ؋52.0

$1.50 Ft 489

-46.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ؋98.7

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-92.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ؋96.3

$1.81 Ft 591

-17.68%

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

$9,933 ؋643.3K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-66.13%

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)

$83.8 ؋5,425

$170 Ft 55.3K

-50.71%

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

$16.94 ؋1,097

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-29.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.69 ؋757

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-82.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.91 ؋253

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-79.61%

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 ؋306

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-50.42%

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

$78.1 ؋5,058

$537 Ft 174.6K

-85.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.14 ؋851

$101 Ft 33.0K

-87.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.75 ؋1,214

$119 Ft 38.6K

-84.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

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)

$231 ؋15.0K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-85.80%

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 Mazar-i-Sharif: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mazar-i-Sharif

$106 36.2%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 142% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mazar-i-Sharif

$101 * 34.3%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 116% $117

Eating Out

Mazar-i-Sharif

$48 16.3%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 367% $176

Sport & Entertainment

Mazar-i-Sharif

$21 7.2%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 304% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Mazar-i-Sharif

$14 * 4.9%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 1079% $155

Getting Around

Mazar-i-Sharif

$3.2 * 1.1%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 1253% $40

Accommodation & Living

Mazar-i-Sharif

- * 0%

Budapest

$629 38.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 604% 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 $16.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $106 vs $258 – making Mazar-i-Sharif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

15:09 3:09 PM

12:39 12:39 PM

2 h 30 min behind Mazar-i-Sharif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,600

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.57 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 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 AFN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mazar-i-Sharif Budapest 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mazar-i-Sharif
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

Mazar-i-Sharif vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 446%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $445 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 142% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mazar-i-Sharif, where all-in costs run around $297, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Mazar-i-Sharif it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mazar-i-Sharif – 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 Mazar-i-Sharif. 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.