Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meknes and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Meknes: $683 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Meknes
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Meknes Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Meknes

🇲🇦 Morocco

$683

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $683 per month in Meknes vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Meknes $683
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,051 per month in Meknes vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Meknes $1,051
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,419 per month in Meknes vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Meknes $1,419
Budapest $3,429

Meknes is about 58% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meknes sits 49% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.18 MAD 31.03

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-77.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.67 MAD 153

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-74.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.07 MAD 59.2

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-40.43%

Cappuccino

$1.21 MAD 11.84

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-62.88%

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

$0.90 MAD 8.77

$2.14 Ft 690

-57.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 MAD 4.32

$1.78 Ft 577

-75.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MAD 29.86

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-17.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 MAD 35.72

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-2.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 MAD 8.11

$1.15 Ft 371

-27.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 MAD 3.78

$1.79 Ft 578

-78.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 MAD 12.62

$2.49 Ft 804

-48.19%

Eggs

$1.85 MAD 18.03

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-52.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 MAD 108

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-0.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 MAD 51.9

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-19.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.21 MAD 89.8

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-37.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 MAD 11.74

$1.83 Ft 591

-34.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MAD 12.91

$2.05 Ft 661

-35.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.64 MAD 6.26

$2.37 Ft 765

-73.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 MAD 7.03

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-81.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 MAD 5.25

$0.99 Ft 320

-45.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 MAD 5.40

$1.00 Ft 322

-45.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 MAD 4.75

$1.58 Ft 511

-68.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MAD 5.37

$0.67 Ft 216

-17.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MAD 40.42

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-47.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 MAD 80.3

$6.22 Ft 2,009

32.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 MAD 23.23

$1.27 Ft 411

87.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 MAD 25.65

$2.03 Ft 654

29.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 MAD 3.90

$1.52 Ft 490

-73.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.76 MAD 154

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-43.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 MAD 6.75

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-79.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 MAD 2.91

$1.37 Ft 442

-78.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 MAD 43.90

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-77.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MAD 13.87

$1.82 Ft 589

-21.98%

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

$31.2K MAD 304.3K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

4.76%

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

$30.9K MAD 301.3K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-8.60%

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

$31.22 MAD 304

$171 Ft 55.3K

-81.76%

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

$9.45 MAD 92.2

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-59.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.10 MAD 332

$23.29 Ft 7,526

46.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.52 MAD 278

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-57.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.68 MAD 319

$18.89 Ft 6,104

73.00%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 MAD 40.96

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-54.84%

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

$123 MAD 1,202

$533 Ft 172.3K

-76.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,616 MAD 54.8K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-66.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 MAD 591

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-39.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.86 MAD 437

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

3.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 MAD 909

$110 Ft 35.7K

-15.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.5 MAD 580

$119 Ft 38.4K

-49.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 MAD 2,599

$830 Ft 268.3K

-67.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 MAD 1,674

$622 Ft 200.9K

-72.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$457 MAD 4,460

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-71.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 MAD 2,802

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-75.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$965 MAD 9,406

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-83.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$603 MAD 5,876

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-84.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$475 MAD 4,632

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-71.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

6.45

-30.23%

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

Last update for Meknes: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Meknes

$177 26%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 45.5% $81

Accommodation & Living

Meknes

$172 25.2%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 262% $450

Clothing & Footwear

Meknes

$116 17%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 44.2% $51

Eating Out

Meknes

$86 12.6%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 159% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Meknes

$75 11%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 192% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Meknes

$37 5.4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 133% $49

Getting Around

Meknes

$20 2.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 126% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Meknes 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 248% 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 Meknes versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $258 – making Meknes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Meknes

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:05 2:05 PM

15:05 3:05 PM

1 h ahead of Meknes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,428

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Meknes Budapest 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Meknes
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

Meknes vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 137%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,024 per month in Meknes 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 Meknes, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 78% less in Meknes. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $123 per month in Meknes and $533 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 Meknes, where all-in costs run around $683, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Meknes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Meknes – 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 Meknes. 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.