Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medina and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Medina: $1,364 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,364

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,364 per month in Medina vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Medina $1,364
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,816 per month in Medina vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Medina $1,816
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,268 per month in Medina vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Medina $2,268
Budapest $3,489

Medina is about 16% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medina and Budapest sit above the global median – Medina by 2%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.53 SAR 20.75

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-60.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.09 SAR 120

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-46.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 SAR 30.78

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-17.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

Cappuccino

$2.70 SAR 10.15

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-20.12%

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

$0.76 SAR 2.84

$2.13 Ft 692

-64.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.95

$1.87 Ft 608

-86.63%

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)

$1.49 SAR 5.61

$1.13 Ft 368

31.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 SAR 3.44

$1.84 Ft 599

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 SAR 8.70

$2.39 Ft 777

-2.93%

Eggs

$2.09 SAR 7.84

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-45.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 SAR 20.44

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-51.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.03 SAR 26.39

$6.74 Ft 2,192

4.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.49 SAR 46.90

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-14.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 SAR 9.10

$1.84 Ft 597

31.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.42

$2.01 Ft 653

-1.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 SAR 8.60

$2.36 Ft 767

-2.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-58.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$0.96 Ft 313

41.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 SAR 5.14

$1.03 Ft 334

33.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 SAR 3.49

$1.56 Ft 509

-40.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 SAR 2.68

$0.66 Ft 216

7.58%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.54 SAR 28.32

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-5.28%

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)

$1.05 SAR 3.94

$1.50 Ft 489

-30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.80 SAR 138

$27.61 Ft 8,982

33.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-58.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 SAR 6.32

$1.30 Ft 424

29.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 SAR 21.44

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-71.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$1.81 Ft 591

-64.64%

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

$41.8K SAR 157.0K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

42.55%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.5K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-39.45%

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

$149 SAR 558

$170 Ft 55.3K

-12.54%

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

$27.41 SAR 103

$23.98 Ft 7,802

14.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.7 SAR 341

$23.42 Ft 7,621

287.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.9 SAR 296

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

19.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.01 SAR 33.83

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-53.02%

Cinema Ticket

$13.51 SAR 50.7

$9.52 Ft 3,098

41.91%

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

$294 SAR 1,103

$537 Ft 174.6K

-45.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,483 SAR 20.6K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-66.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.85 SAR 138

$101 Ft 33.0K

-63.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

26.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 SAR 252

$113 Ft 36.7K

-40.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 SAR 263

$119 Ft 38.6K

-41.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 SAR 2,139

$805 Ft 262.0K

-29.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 SAR 1,988

$629 Ft 204.7K

-15.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 SAR 2,926

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-49.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 SAR 2,151

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-50.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,309 SAR 8,670

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-58.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 SAR 5,091

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-65.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 SAR 4,671

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-23.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

6.43

-35.15%

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

Last update for Medina: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medina

$529 39.2%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 18.9% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medina

$267 19.7%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 18.5% $49

Groceries & Markets

Medina

$191 14.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 35.1% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Medina

$106 7.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 19.5% $21

Eating Out

Medina

$105 7.8%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 113% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Medina

$103 7.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 64.6% $66

Getting Around

Medina

$51 3.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 14.5% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $570 in Medina 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 31% 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 $32.00 in Medina versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $258 – making Medina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Medina

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

07:05 7:05 AM

1 h behind Medina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,100,093

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 = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 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 SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medina Budapest 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medina
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

Medina vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,047 per month in Medina 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 Medina, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Medina. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $294 per month in Medina 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 Medina, where all-in costs run around $1,364, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Medina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medina – 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 Medina. 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.