Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benin and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Benin: $447 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Benin
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Benin Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Benin

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$447

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $447 per month in Benin vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Benin $447
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $756 per month in Benin vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Benin $756
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,065 per month in Benin vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Benin $1,065
Budapest $3,429

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

Benin sits 67% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.28 ₦1,702

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-90.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 ₦66.9K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-17.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.51 ₦7,326

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-45.93%

Cappuccino

$2.77 ₦3,684

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-15.03%

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

$0.27 ₦355

$2.14 Ft 690

-87.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ₦218

$1.78 Ft 577

-91.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.85 ₦1,136

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-77.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₦1,320

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-73.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 ₦4,204

$1.15 Ft 371

174.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.77 ₦1,026

$1.79 Ft 578

-56.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 ₦1,610

$2.49 Ft 804

-51.41%

Eggs

$2.24 ₦2,984

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-42.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.63 ₦4,832

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-67.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.84 ₦5,114

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-41.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.43 ₦5,893

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-69.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 ₦2,263

$1.83 Ft 591

-7.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ₦1,728

$2.05 Ft 661

-36.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 ₦1,475

$2.37 Ft 765

-53.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 ₦1,772

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-65.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 ₦1,779

$0.99 Ft 320

35.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ₦1,756

$1.00 Ft 322

32.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ₦1,105

$1.58 Ft 511

-47.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₦523

$0.67 Ft 216

-41.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.59 ₦779

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-92.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.41 ₦3,205

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-61.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₦724

$1.27 Ft 411

-57.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ₦607

$2.03 Ft 654

-77.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ₦921

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-79.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₦1,202

$1.37 Ft 442

-34.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 ₦2,943

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-88.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 ₦967

$1.82 Ft 589

-59.89%

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

$11.1K ₦14.7M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-62.82%

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

$13.9K ₦18.4M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-59.00%

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

$114 ₦151.4K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-33.49%

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

$14.69 ₦19.5K

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-37.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 ₦44.2K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

42.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$6.21 ₦8,258

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-33.23%

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

$655 ₦871.3K

$533 Ft 172.3K

22.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K ₦26.2M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

17.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.98 ₦19.9K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-84.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.39 ₦24.5K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-57.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.97 ₦47.8K

$110 Ft 35.7K

-67.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.15 ₦64.0K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-59.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$112 ₦148.6K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-93.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.39

6.45

185.12%

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

Last update for Benin: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benin

$162 36.1%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 34.8% $56

Groceries & Markets

Benin

$147 32.9%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 75.4% $111

Eating Out

Benin

$68 15.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 228% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Benin

$53 11.8%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 217% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Benin

$12 * 2.8%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 593% $74

Getting Around

Benin

$5.2 * 1.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 749% $39

Accommodation & Living

Benin

- * 0%

Budapest

$622 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 1378% 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 $50.0 in Benin versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $258 – making Benin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Benin

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

17:02 5:02 PM

1 h ahead of Benin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,147,188

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to NGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Benin Budapest 4,750 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Benin
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

Benin vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 262%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $671 per month in Benin and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Benin 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 75% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Benin, where all-in costs run around $447, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Benin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Benin – 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 Benin. 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.