Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muscat and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in Muscat and in Budapest: $1,565 and $1,621 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Muscat
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Muscat Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,565

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,565 per month in Muscat vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Muscat $1,565
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,341 per month in Muscat vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Muscat $2,341
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,116 per month in Muscat vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Muscat $3,116
Budapest $3,489

Muscat is about 3% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Muscat and Budapest sit above the global median – Muscat by 17%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.23 OMR 2.01

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-62.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.68 OMR 15.27

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-34.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.64 OMR 2.94

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-23.29%

Cappuccino

$4.97 OMR 1.91

$3.38 Ft 1,102

47.04%

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

$0.85 OMR 0.33

$2.13 Ft 693

-60.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$1.87 Ft 609

-85.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 OMR 4.97

$3.75 Ft 1,222

244.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.23 OMR 5.09

$3.57 Ft 1,163

270.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 OMR 0.87

$1.13 Ft 369

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 OMR 0.45

$1.84 Ft 600

-35.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 OMR 0.73

$2.39 Ft 777

-20.92%

Eggs

$2.91 OMR 1.12

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-24.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.23 OMR 2.78

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-36.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 OMR 2.64

$6.74 Ft 2,194

1.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 OMR 4.09

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-27.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 OMR 1.41

$1.84 Ft 598

98.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 OMR 0.75

$2.01 Ft 654

-2.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 OMR 0.92

$2.36 Ft 767

1.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 OMR 0.48

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-66.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 OMR 0.47

$0.96 Ft 314

27.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$1.03 Ft 335

23.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 OMR 0.72

$1.56 Ft 509

19.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 OMR 0.27

$0.66 Ft 216

6.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 OMR 2.45

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-20.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.54 OMR 5.98

$6.01 Ft 1,956

158.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.00 OMR 2.31

$1.30 Ft 422

361.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.34 OMR 3.98

$2.08 Ft 677

397.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 OMR 0.50

$1.50 Ft 490

-14.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.2 OMR 29.70

$27.61 Ft 8,991

179.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 OMR 1.27

$3.30 Ft 1,075

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 OMR 0.99

$1.30 Ft 424

96.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.82 OMR 3.01

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-60.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 OMR 0.24

$1.81 Ft 591

-65.19%

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

$25.7K OMR 9,904

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-12.26%

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

$23.0K OMR 8,861

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-32.50%

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

$177 OMR 68.1

$170 Ft 55.3K

4.17%

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

$30.49 OMR 11.74

$23.98 Ft 7,809

27.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 OMR 27.56

$23.42 Ft 7,628

205.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 OMR 23.53

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-7.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.78 OMR 11.46

$19.18 Ft 6,245

55.27%

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 OMR 4.02

$9.52 Ft 3,101

9.77%

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

$282 OMR 108

$537 Ft 174.8K

-47.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K OMR 4,003

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-37.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 OMR 22.17

$101 Ft 33.0K

-43.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 OMR 16.71

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

0.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 OMR 35.11

$113 Ft 36.7K

-19.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.9 OMR 33.05

$119 Ft 38.7K

-27.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 OMR 265

$805 Ft 262.2K

-14.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 OMR 174

$629 Ft 204.9K

-28.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 OMR 497

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-16.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 OMR 315

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-29.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,815 OMR 1,084

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-49.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 OMR 619

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-59.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 OMR 636

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

1.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

6.43

-18.35%

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

Last update for Muscat: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Muscat

$453 29.3%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 38.9% $176

Groceries & Markets

Muscat

$291 18.8%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 11.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muscat

$279 18%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 22.1% $62

Eating Out

Muscat

$220 14.2%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 2% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Muscat

$125 8.1%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 35.1% $44

Getting Around

Muscat

$98 6.4%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 55.9% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Muscat

$82 5.3%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 4% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $690 in Muscat 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 2% higher in Muscat, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Muscat versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $291 in Muscat vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Muscat

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

03:04 3:04 AM

2 h behind Muscat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,090,797 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.32 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.432 OMR (1 OMR = 2.32 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Muscat Budapest 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Muscat
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

Muscat vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,347 per month in Muscat 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 Muscat, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 179% less in Muscat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $282 per month in Muscat and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Muscat, where all-in costs run around $1,565, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Muscat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Muscat – 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 Muscat. 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.