Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mecca and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Mecca: $936 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Mecca
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Mecca Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Mecca

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$936

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Mecca vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Mecca $936
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,453 per month in Mecca vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Mecca $1,453
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,970 per month in Mecca vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Mecca $1,970
Budapest $3,429

Mecca is about 42% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mecca sits 31% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.57 SAR 17.14

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-67.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.89 SAR 101

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-56.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 SAR 26.52

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-30.62%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 SAR 5.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 SAR 5.61

Cappuccino

$2.61 SAR 9.79

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-19.94%

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

$0.67 SAR 2.51

$2.14 Ft 690

-68.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 SAR 0.86

$1.78 Ft 577

-87.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.15 Ft 371

52.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 SAR 3.85

$1.79 Ft 578

-42.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 SAR 7.91

$2.49 Ft 804

-15.26%

Eggs

$2.52 SAR 9.46

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-35.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.92 SAR 22.20

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-46.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.08 SAR 30.33

$6.62 Ft 2,139

22.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 SAR 48.59

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-11.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 SAR 7.84

$1.83 Ft 591

14.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$2.05 Ft 661

-22.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 SAR 6.05

$2.37 Ft 765

-32.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 SAR 5.52

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-62.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.21

$0.99 Ft 320

13.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 SAR 4.87

$1.00 Ft 322

30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 SAR 3.94

$1.58 Ft 511

-33.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 SAR 1.86

$0.67 Ft 216

-25.37%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.06 SAR 15.24

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 SAR 6.95

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 SAR 25.56

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-14.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 SAR 5.03

$1.52 Ft 490

-11.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 SAR 9.11

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-26.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.37 Ft 442

27.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.15 SAR 49.33

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-33.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.38

$1.82 Ft 589

-65.38%

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

$47.5K SAR 178.2K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

59.36%

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

$21.1K SAR 79.3K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-37.52%

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

$66.9 SAR 251

$171 Ft 55.3K

-60.93%

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

$35.35 SAR 133

$23.51 Ft 7,596

50.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 SAR 237

$23.29 Ft 7,526

171.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.7 SAR 303

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

19.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.52 SAR 160

$18.89 Ft 6,104

125.09%

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 SAR 44.88

$9.30 Ft 3,004

28.60%

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

$775 SAR 2,907

$533 Ft 172.3K

45.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K SAR 60.8K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-3.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.57 SAR 50.9

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-86.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 SAR 214

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

30.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.67 SAR 149

$110 Ft 35.7K

-64.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.3 SAR 200

$119 Ft 38.4K

-55.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 SAR 2,001

$830 Ft 268.3K

-35.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 SAR 1,088

$622 Ft 200.9K

-53.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 SAR 3,114

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-47.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 SAR 1,963

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-55.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,375 SAR 23.9K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

9.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,298 SAR 8,624

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-40.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,083 SAR 4,063

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-34.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

6.45

-18.60%

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

Last update for Mecca: 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

Mecca

$290 31%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 114% $332

Groceries & Markets

Mecca

$193 20.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 33.5% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mecca

$165 17.7%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 31.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Mecca

$105 11.2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 17.7% $19

Eating Out

Mecca

$93 9.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 141% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Mecca

$74 7.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 128% $94

Getting Around

Mecca

$17 * 1.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 167% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $533 in Mecca 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 52% 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 $27.00 in Mecca versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $258 – making Mecca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Mecca

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:34 5:34 AM

04:34 4:34 AM

1 h behind Mecca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,675,368

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mecca Budapest 3,450 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mecca
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

Mecca vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,404 per month in Mecca 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 Mecca, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Mecca and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mecca, where all-in costs run around $936, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Mecca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mecca – 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 Mecca. 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.