Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surinam and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $626 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Surinam
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Surinam Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Surinam

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$626

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $626 per month in Surinam vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Surinam $626
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,049 per month in Surinam vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Surinam $1,049
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $1,472 per month in Surinam vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Surinam $1,472
Budapest $3,483

Surinam is about 62% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Surinam sits 54% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 MUR 280

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-57.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.18 MUR 1,797

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-37.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 MUR 355

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-27.29%

Cappuccino

$2.70 MUR 127

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-21.97%

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

$1.18 MUR 55.3

$2.07 Ft 669

-43.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 MUR 31.99

$1.77 Ft 572

-61.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 MUR 126

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-27.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 MUR 218

$3.80 Ft 1,229

21.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MUR 75.6

$1.16 Ft 374

38.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MUR 33.80

$1.85 Ft 598

-61.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 MUR 51.8

$2.40 Ft 776

-54.17%

Eggs

$2.65 MUR 125

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-33.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.31 MUR 250

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-53.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 MUR 291

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-10.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 MUR 520

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-23.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 MUR 132

$1.88 Ft 607

49.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 MUR 125

$2.14 Ft 693

24.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 MUR 68.3

$2.30 Ft 744

-36.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 MUR 140

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-26.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 MUR 43.58

$1.02 Ft 329

-8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 MUR 45.08

$0.99 Ft 320

-3.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 MUR 34.57

$1.58 Ft 510

-53.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 MUR 41.98

$0.70 Ft 225

27.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.34 MUR 298

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-21.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 MUR 405

$6.18 Ft 1,997

39.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 MUR 78.3

$1.24 Ft 401

33.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 MUR 112

$2.06 Ft 666

15.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 MUR 192

$3.43 Ft 1,110

19.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 MUR 151

$1.33 Ft 431

142.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.97 MUR 987

$20.45 Ft 6,607

2.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 MUR 65.2

$1.93 Ft 624

-27.98%

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

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

26.84%

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

$30.4K MUR 1.4M

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-12.33%

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

$44.93 MUR 2,115

$175 Ft 56.4K

-74.27%

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

$10.67 MUR 502

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-54.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.60 MUR 1,346

$23.60 Ft 7,625

21.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 MUR 301

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-38.02%

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

$124 MUR 5,826

$535 Ft 172.9K

-76.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,598 MUR 357.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-54.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.6 MUR 3,702

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-21.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.1 MUR 3,533

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

73.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 MUR 5,633

$112 Ft 36.1K

7.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 MUR 3,678

$119 Ft 38.4K

-34.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

6.45

3.41%

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

Last update for Surinam: 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

Surinam

$217 34.8%

Budapest

$262 16% 20.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Surinam

$158 25.3%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 6.4% $10

Eating Out

Surinam

$133 21.2%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 70.5% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surinam

$84 13.5%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 163% $138

Getting Around

Surinam

$20 * 3.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 118% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Surinam

$13 * 2%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 600% $77

Accommodation & Living

Surinam

- * 0%

Budapest

$629 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Surinam versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $262 – making Surinam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Surinam

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

06:32 6:32 AM

2 h behind Surinam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,500

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Surinam Budapest 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Surinam
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

Surinam vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 162%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $938 per month in Surinam and $2,461 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 $38.00 in Surinam 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 20% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surinam, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Surinam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surinam – 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 Surinam. 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.