Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharm El Sheikh and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh: $455 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Sharm El Sheikh
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Sharm El Sheikh Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Sharm El Sheikh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$455

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $455 per month in Sharm El Sheikh vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Sharm El Sheikh $455
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $706 per month in Sharm El Sheikh vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Sharm El Sheikh $706
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $956 per month in Sharm El Sheikh vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Sharm El Sheikh $956
Budapest $3,429

Sharm El Sheikh is about 72% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sharm El Sheikh sits 66% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.17 E£1,237

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-62.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.87 E£260

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-52.21%

Cappuccino

$2.23 E£119

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-31.60%

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

$0.33 E£17.57

$2.14 Ft 690

-84.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 E£31.40

$1.78 Ft 577

-66.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.79 E£202

$3.71 Ft 1,198

2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 E£249

$3.77 Ft 1,217

23.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 E£43.80

$1.15 Ft 371

-28.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.45 E£24.03

$2.49 Ft 804

-81.93%

Eggs

$1.21 E£64.5

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-68.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.75 E£200

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-43.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 E£82.9

$1.83 Ft 591

-15.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.45 E£24.00

$2.05 Ft 661

-78.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.45 E£24.12

$2.37 Ft 765

-81.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.27 E£14.28

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-93.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 E£116

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-72.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 E£78.8

$1.27 Ft 411

16.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.10 E£5.23

$1.52 Ft 490

-93.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£24.81

$1.82 Ft 589

-74.73%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

9.65%

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

$21.8K E£1.2M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-35.55%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

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

$11.34 E£605

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-51.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.77 E£1,483

$23.29 Ft 7,526

19.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$359 E£19.2K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-56.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 E£15.3K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-53.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 E£33.2K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-60.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 E£28.3K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-54.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$948 E£50.6K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-83.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$665 E£35.5K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-82.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$151 E£8,062

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-90.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.5

6.45

310.85%

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

Last update for Sharm El Sheikh: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sharm El Sheikh

$287 63.2%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 116% $335

Eating Out

Sharm El Sheikh

$73 * 16.1%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 204% $150

Groceries & Markets

Sharm El Sheikh

$55 * 12%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 373% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharm El Sheikh

$39 * 8.6%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 457% $179

Getting Around

Sharm El Sheikh

$0.4 * 0.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 11244% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Sharm El Sheikh

- * 0%

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Sharm El Sheikh

- * 0%

Budapest

$168 10.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $359 in Sharm El Sheikh 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 994% 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 $23.00 in Sharm El Sheikh versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $55.0 vs $258 – making Sharm El Sheikh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

1 h behind Sharm El Sheikh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,478

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 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 EGP in detail →

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Between locations

Sharm El Sheikh Budapest 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sharm El Sheikh
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

Sharm El Sheikh vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 256%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $682 per month in Sharm El Sheikh 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 Sharm El Sheikh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 373% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Sharm El Sheikh and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sharm El Sheikh, where all-in costs run around $455, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Sharm El Sheikh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sharm El Sheikh – 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 Sharm El Sheikh. 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.