Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,768 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Riyadh outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,768

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,768 per month in Riyadh vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Riyadh $1,768
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,557 per month in Riyadh vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Riyadh $2,557
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,345 per month in Riyadh vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Riyadh $3,345
Budapest $3,489

Riyadh costs about 9% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Riyadh and Budapest sit above the global median – Riyadh by 32%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.36

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-42.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 SAR 250

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

10.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 SAR 30.47

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-18.57%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 SAR 8.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

Cappuccino

$4.34 SAR 16.31

$3.38 Ft 1,100

28.40%

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

$0.86 SAR 3.24

$2.13 Ft 692

-59.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$1.87 Ft 608

-83.96%

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)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

$1.13 Ft 368

56.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 SAR 4.97

$1.84 Ft 599

-28.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 SAR 9.03

$2.39 Ft 777

0.42%

Eggs

$3.06 SAR 11.48

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-20.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 SAR 39.91

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-6.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 SAR 36.05

$6.74 Ft 2,192

42.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.3

$14.69 Ft 4,780

1.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 SAR 10.51

$1.84 Ft 597

52.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.45

$2.01 Ft 653

-1.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 SAR 9.43

$2.36 Ft 767

6.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.75

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-52.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.45

$0.96 Ft 313

22.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 SAR 5.01

$1.03 Ft 334

30.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 SAR 6.70

$1.56 Ft 509

14.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.03

$0.66 Ft 216

-18.18%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.11 SAR 30.44

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SAR 9.04

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.53 SAR 28.26

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-5.40%

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 3.96

$1.50 Ft 489

-30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.18 SAR 140

$27.61 Ft 8,982

34.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 SAR 12.35

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-0.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.19

$1.30 Ft 424

46.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.43 SAR 50.5

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-32.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.42

$1.81 Ft 591

-64.09%

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

$34.6K SAR 130.0K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

18.08%

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

$22.8K SAR 85.7K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-33.05%

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

$106 SAR 397

$170 Ft 55.3K

-37.83%

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

$29.10 SAR 109

$23.98 Ft 7,802

21.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.7 SAR 273

$23.42 Ft 7,621

210.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 SAR 343

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

38.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.4 SAR 212

$19.18 Ft 6,239

193.90%

Cinema Ticket

$13.20 SAR 49.58

$9.52 Ft 3,098

38.66%

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

$532 SAR 1,999

$537 Ft 174.6K

-0.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K SAR 38.4K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-38.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 SAR 215

$101 Ft 33.0K

-43.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

26.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 SAR 393

$113 Ft 36.7K

-7.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 SAR 397

$119 Ft 38.6K

-10.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 SAR 4,547

$805 Ft 262.0K

50.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$834 SAR 3,132

$629 Ft 204.7K

32.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,223 SAR 8,346

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

43.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 SAR 4,658

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

6.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,011 SAR 11.3K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-46.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,937 SAR 7,274

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-51.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,037 SAR 7,648

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

25.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

6.43

-13.84%

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

Last update for Riyadh: 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

Riyadh

$834 47.7%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 24.6% $205

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$242 13.9%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 6.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 11.9%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 4.7% $9.8

Eating Out

Riyadh

$146 8.4%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 53.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$145 8.3%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 16.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$118 6.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 27.6% $33

Getting Around

Riyadh

$54 3.1%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 20% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,211 in Riyadh 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 25% higher in Riyadh, 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 $66.0 in Riyadh versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $242 in Riyadh vs $258 in Budapest – so Riyadh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

1 h behind Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

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 →

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Between locations

Riyadh Budapest 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
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

Riyadh vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Riyadh is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,652 per month in Riyadh 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 Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 35% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $532 per month in Riyadh and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Riyadh at $1,768. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Riyadh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Riyadh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.