Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antigua Guatemala and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Antigua Guatemala: $1,269 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Antigua Guatemala
🇬🇹 Guatemala
$1,269
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Antigua Guatemala versus $1,621 in Budapest.

  • Antigua Guatemala $1,269
  • Budapest $1,621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,123 in Antigua Guatemala versus $2,555 in Budapest.

  • Antigua Guatemala $2,123
  • Budapest $2,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,977 in Antigua Guatemala versus $3,489 in Budapest.

  • Antigua Guatemala $2,977
  • Budapest $3,489

Living in Antigua Guatemala costs roughly 22% less than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Antigua Guatemala is 5% below, Budapest is 21% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Antigua Guatemala
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.63 Q 50.7
$13.99 Ft 4,551
-52.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$51.7 Q 395
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
-14.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.64 Q 58.4
$9.96 Ft 3,241
-23.29%
Cappuccino
$3.41 Q 26.08
$3.38 Ft 1,100
0.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.15 Q 8.81
$2.13 Ft 692
-46.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 Q 7.14
$1.87 Ft 608
-50.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.23 Q 24.69
$3.75 Ft 1,221
-13.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.63 Q 35.41
$3.57 Ft 1,162
29.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Antigua Guatemala
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.04 Q 15.60
$1.13 Ft 368
80.53%
White Bread (500g)
$3.11 Q 23.78
$1.84 Ft 599
69.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.93 Q 14.76
$2.39 Ft 777
-19.25%
Eggs
$2.44 Q 18.65
$3.83 Ft 1,245
-36.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.48 Q 41.88
$11.33 Ft 3,686
-51.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.20 Q 70.3
$6.74 Ft 2,192
36.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.54 Q 80.6
$14.69 Ft 4,780
-28.25%
Apples (1kg)
$3.79 Q 28.97
$1.84 Ft 597
105.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.64 Q 12.55
$2.01 Ft 653
-18.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.83 Q 21.62
$2.36 Ft 767
19.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.67 Q 12.75
$3.77 Ft 1,226
-55.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 Q 11.67
$0.96 Ft 313
59.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 Q 13.27
$1.03 Ft 334
68.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.67 Q 5.16
$1.56 Ft 509
-57.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 Q 9.10
$0.66 Ft 216
80.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.86 Q 29.49
$7.96 Ft 2,591
-51.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.02 Q 61.3
$6.01 Ft 1,954
33.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 Q 13.30
$1.30 Ft 421
33.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 Q 19.74
$2.08 Ft 676
24.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Antigua Guatemala
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.58 Q 19.75
$1.50 Ft 489
72.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.61 Ft 8,982
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.56 Q 34.81
$3.30 Ft 1,074
38.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.30 Ft 424
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.49 Q 80.2
$19.78 Ft 6,436
-46.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 Q 9.82
$1.81 Ft 591
-29.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.8K Q 174.4K
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
-22.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K Q 166.8K
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
-36.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Antigua Guatemala
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$57.0 Q 436
$170 Ft 55.3K
-66.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.77 Q 220
$23.98 Ft 7,802
19.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.71 Q 349
$23.42 Ft 7,621
95.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Antigua Guatemala
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.18 Q 315
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
-37.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.13 Q 215
$19.18 Ft 6,239
46.66%
Cinema Ticket
$6.51 Q 49.73
$9.52 Ft 3,098
-31.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Antigua Guatemala
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$338 Q 2,585
$537 Ft 174.6K
-36.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,808 Q 52.0K
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
-59.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Antigua Guatemala
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.44 Q 332
$101 Ft 33.0K
-57.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.13 Q 368
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
11.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.1 Q 704
$113 Ft 36.7K
-18.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.5 Q 608
$119 Ft 38.6K
-33.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Antigua Guatemala
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$884 Q 6,757
$805 Ft 262.0K
9.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$518 Q 3,960
$629 Ft 204.7K
-17.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,900 Q 14.5K
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
22.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,195 Q 9,129
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
2.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,963 Q 22.6K
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
-47.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,198 Q 9,155
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
-69.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Antigua Guatemala
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$609 Q 4,655
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
-62.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.62
6.43
80.72%

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

Last update for Antigua Guatemala: 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
Antigua Guatemala
$518
Budapest
$629 21.4% $111
Groceries & Markets
Antigua Guatemala
$267
Budapest
$258 3.3% $8.9
Eating Out
Antigua Guatemala
$151
Budapest
$224 48.8% $74
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Antigua Guatemala
$132
Budapest
$217 65.3% $86
Clothing & Footwear
Antigua Guatemala
$118
Budapest
$169 42.8% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Antigua Guatemala
$54
Budapest
$85 57.3% $31
Getting Around
Antigua Guatemala
$15 *
Budapest
$43 192% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $884 in Antigua Guatemala and $805 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 167% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52.0 in Antigua Guatemala vs $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $258, with Budapest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇹 Antigua Guatemala
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
20:55 8:55 PM
04:55 4:55 AM
8 h ahead of Antigua Guatemala
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
46,054
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.57 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Antigua Guatemala Budapest 10,240 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Antigua Guatemala
  • 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
Antigua Guatemala vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Antigua Guatemala and in Budapest?
Antigua Guatemala and Budapest differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,269 vs $1,621 including rent). Antigua Guatemala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 167% lower in Budapest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Antigua Guatemala and in Budapest?
Rent for a central apartment: $884 in Antigua Guatemala versus $805 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Antigua Guatemala and Budapest?
Childcare runs $338 in Antigua Guatemala versus $537 in Budapest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Antigua Guatemala – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $60.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,269 in Antigua Guatemala versus $1,621 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Antigua Guatemala but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Antigua Guatemala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Antigua Guatemala and Budapest?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Antigua Guatemala or Budapest safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Antigua Guatemala and Budapest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Antigua Guatemala or Budapest?
Expats usually find Antigua Guatemala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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