Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mersa Matruh and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $457 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Mersa Matruh
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Mersa Matruh Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Mersa Matruh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $457 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $457
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $749 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $749
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $1,040 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $1,040
Budapest $3,483

Mersa Matruh is about 72% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mersa Matruh sits 66% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.20 E£234

$14.04 Ft 4,582

-70.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.05 E£1,062

$60.9 Ft 19.9K

-68.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 E£264

$10.37 Ft 3,385

-54.48%

Cappuccino

$1.27 E£70.6

$3.46 Ft 1,129

-63.29%

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

$0.33 E£18.14

$2.07 Ft 676

-84.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 E£6.01

$1.77 Ft 578

-93.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 E£75.8

$3.69 Ft 1,203

-63.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 E£156

$3.80 Ft 1,241

-26.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 E£48.65

$1.16 Ft 378

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 E£37.07

$1.85 Ft 604

-64.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 E£36.07

$2.40 Ft 784

-72.92%

Eggs

$1.19 E£66.1

$3.99 Ft 1,302

-70.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.80 E£212

$11.40 Ft 3,721

-66.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 E£237

$6.87 Ft 2,243

-38.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 E£515

$14.49 Ft 4,730

-36.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 E£86.1

$1.88 Ft 613

-18.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£41.82

$2.14 Ft 700

-64.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£30.85

$2.30 Ft 752

-76.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.76

$4.04 Ft 1,317

-91.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 E£14.59

$1.02 Ft 333

-74.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 E£16.70

$0.99 Ft 323

-69.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.27 E£15.19

$1.58 Ft 515

-82.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 E£11.99

$0.70 Ft 227

-68.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 E£103

$8.03 Ft 2,620

-76.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 E£316

$6.18 Ft 2,017

-8.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 E£69.6

$1.24 Ft 405

0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 E£127

$2.06 Ft 673

10.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 E£11.72

$1.59 Ft 518

-86.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,983

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.56 E£31.13

$3.43 Ft 1,121

-83.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 E£9.23

$1.33 Ft 435

-87.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 E£67.1

$20.45 Ft 6,674

-94.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£24.06

$1.93 Ft 631

-77.72%

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

$32.5K E£1.8M

$29.1K Ft 9.5M

11.48%

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

$27.1K E£1.5M

$34.7K Ft 11.3M

-22.04%

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

$14.05 E£784

$175 Ft 57.0K

-91.95%

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

$6.68 E£373

$23.62 Ft 7,708

-71.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.50 E£753

$23.60 Ft 7,702

-42.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.88 E£885

$68.8 Ft 22.5K

-76.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,287

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 E£162

$10.31 Ft 3,366

-71.77%

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

$85.0 E£4,740

$535 Ft 174.7K

-84.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,090 E£116.6K

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

-87.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.72 E£1,881

$99.9 Ft 32.6K

-66.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.91 E£2,560

$43.27 Ft 14.1K

6.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 E£7,112

$112 Ft 36.5K

14.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.4 E£3,202

$119 Ft 38.8K

-51.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 E£7,152

$832 Ft 271.5K

-84.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.7 E£4,278

$629 Ft 205.3K

-87.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 E£14.3K

$1,586 Ft 517.6K

-83.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 E£8,048

$1,197 Ft 390.5K

-87.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$772 E£43.0K

$5,718 Ft 1.9M

-86.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$354 E£19.7K

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-91.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$94.2 E£5,253

$1,712 Ft 558.7K

-94.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

6.45

230.70%

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

Last update for Mersa Matruh: October 19, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mersa Matruh

$126 27.6%

Budapest

$262 16% 107% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Mersa Matruh

$119 26%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 41.3% $49

Eating Out

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.9%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 194% $149

Accommodation & Living

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.8%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 720% $552

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mersa Matruh

$34 7.5%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 548% $188

Sport & Entertainment

Mersa Matruh

$22 4.7%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 313% $68

Getting Around

Mersa Matruh

$2.2 * 0.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 1872% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $128 in Mersa Matruh versus $832 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 in Budapest are about 18 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Mersa Matruh versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $126 vs $262 – making Mersa Matruh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

07:13 7:13 AM

2 h behind Mersa Matruh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mersa Matruh Budapest 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mersa Matruh
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

Mersa Matruh vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 259%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $686 per month in Mersa Matruh and $2,461 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mersa Matruh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $832 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Mersa Matruh and $61 in Budapest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 107% 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Mersa Matruh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Mersa Matruh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mersa Matruh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Mersa Matruh. 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.