Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbabane and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbabane: $756 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Mbabane
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Mbabane Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Mbabane

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$756

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $756 per month in Mbabane vs $1,647 in Budapest, rent included.

Mbabane $756
Budapest $1,647

A couple spends around $1,214 per month in Mbabane vs $2,567 in Budapest, rent included.

Mbabane $1,214
Budapest $2,567

A family of three spends $1,672 per month in Mbabane vs $3,488 in Budapest, rent included.

Mbabane $1,672
Budapest $3,488

Mbabane is about 54% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Mbabane sits 44% below the global median, while Budapest is 22% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.17 SZL 167

$13.63 Ft 4,397

-25.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.37 SZL 547

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

-44.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 SZL 98.7

$10.02 Ft 3,232

-39.92%

Cappuccino

$2.61 SZL 42.74

$3.33 Ft 1,073

-21.62%

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

$1.11 SZL 18.24

$2.12 Ft 683

-47.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 SZL 9.29

$1.80 Ft 580

-68.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 SZL 34.13

$3.61 Ft 1,163

-42.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 SZL 38.58

$3.59 Ft 1,157

-34.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 SZL 24.99

$1.12 Ft 360

35.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 SZL 13.92

$1.93 Ft 621

-55.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 SZL 27.45

$2.49 Ft 803

-32.93%

Eggs

$1.78 SZL 29.25

$3.94 Ft 1,272

-54.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.87 SZL 178

$11.28 Ft 3,638

-3.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.61 SZL 91.9

$6.73 Ft 2,172

-16.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.22 SZL 85.6

$14.44 Ft 4,659

-63.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 SZL 28.66

$1.86 Ft 600

-5.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.66 SZL 10.82

$2.04 Ft 657

-67.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 SZL 19.79

$2.29 Ft 738

-47.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 SZL 23.08

$3.99 Ft 1,288

-64.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 SZL 20.54

$0.94 Ft 303

32.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 SZL 24.35

$1.02 Ft 330

45.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 SZL 10.96

$1.65 Ft 533

-59.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 SZL 12.59

$0.68 Ft 220

13.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 SZL 45.48

$7.81 Ft 2,521

-64.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.13 SZL 101

$6.02 Ft 1,942

1.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SZL 26.17

$1.29 Ft 417

24.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 SZL 26.84

$2.02 Ft 653

-18.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 SZL 12.11

$1.50 Ft 482

-50.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,750

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,083

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 SZL 23.42

$1.37 Ft 443

4.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 SZL 50.7

$19.96 Ft 6,437

-84.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 SZL 21.78

$1.86 Ft 602

-28.49%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

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

$65.2 SZL 1,069

$178 Ft 57.5K

-63.40%

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

$37.37 SZL 613

$23.58 Ft 7,606

58.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.65 SZL 437

$24.12 Ft 7,779

10.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.34 SZL 366

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

-67.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.08 SZL 50.5

$17.03 Ft 5,493

-81.91%

Cinema Ticket

$3.52 SZL 57.7

$10.48 Ft 3,381

-66.41%

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

$625 Ft 201.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,211 SZL 101.9K

$19.6K Ft 6.3M

-68.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.83 SZL 571

$102 Ft 32.9K

-65.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.14 SZL 248

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

-65.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.4 SZL 1,138

$110 Ft 35.4K

-36.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.4 SZL 891

$121 Ft 38.9K

-54.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 SZL 4,379

$845 Ft 272.7K

-68.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 SZL 2,893

$638 Ft 205.9K

-72.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 SZL 7,396

$1,609 Ft 518.9K

-71.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 SZL 5,855

$1,217 Ft 392.6K

-70.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$488 SZL 8,006

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

-91.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$363 SZL 5,949

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

-90.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 556.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.25

6.34

14.35%

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

Last update for Mbabane: November 1, 2026

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mbabane

$181 23.9%

Budapest

$260 15.8% 43.9% $79

Accommodation & Living

Mbabane

$176 23.3%

Budapest

$638 38.8% 262% $462

Eating Out

Mbabane

$153 20.2%

Budapest

$220 13.4% 44.2% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mbabane

$129 17.1%

Budapest

$226 13.7% 74.8% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Mbabane

$78 10.3%

Budapest

$169 10.3% 116% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Mbabane

$29 3.9%

Budapest

$91 5.5% 209% $61

Getting Around

Mbabane

$10 * 1.3%

Budapest

$43 2.6% 329% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Mbabane 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Mbabane versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $260 – making Mbabane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇿 Mbabane

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

22:16 10:16 PM

1 h behind Mbabane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,874 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 SZL = 6.1 USD

100 SZL = 5.43 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to SZL – Eswatini Lilangeni Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇿 Eswatini Lilangeni (L)

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.4 SZL (100 SZL = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.41 SZL (100 SZL = 5.43 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR).

USD to SZL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mbabane Budapest 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mbabane
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

Mbabane vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,135 per month in Mbabane 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 Mbabane, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $267 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Budapest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Mbabane and $61 in Budapest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Budapest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $756 in Mbabane to $1,647 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.