Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,376 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Aruba outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

141

Cost of Living Index in Aruba
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Aruba Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Aruba

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,376

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,376 in Aruba versus $1,621 in Budapest.

Aruba $2,376
Budapest $1,621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,248 in Aruba versus $2,555 in Budapest.

Aruba $4,248
Budapest $2,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,119 in Aruba versus $3,489 in Budapest.

Aruba $6,119
Budapest $3,489

Living in Aruba is roughly 47% more expensive than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aruba 77% above, Budapest 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.50 AWG 25.95

$13.99 Ft 4,551

3.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 AWG 163

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

50.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 AWG 19.01

$9.96 Ft 3,241

6.63%

Cappuccino

$5.19 AWG 9.29

$3.38 Ft 1,100

53.55%

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

$2.35 AWG 4.21

$2.13 Ft 692

10.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 AWG 4.11

$1.87 Ft 608

22.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.24 AWG 9.38

$3.75 Ft 1,221

39.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 AWG 12.25

$3.57 Ft 1,162

91.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 AWG 2.98

$1.13 Ft 368

47.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 AWG 5.15

$1.84 Ft 599

56.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 AWG 5.44

$2.39 Ft 777

27.20%

Eggs

$3.80 AWG 6.81

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-0.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 AWG 25.00

$11.33 Ft 3,686

23.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 AWG 7.55

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-37.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 AWG 3.51

$2.01 Ft 653

-2.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

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)

$2.49 AWG 4.45

$1.50 Ft 489

66.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 AWG 4.26

$1.81 Ft 591

31.49%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

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

$233 AWG 418

$170 Ft 55.3K

37.31%

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

$133 AWG 239

$23.98 Ft 7,802

456.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.6 AWG 155

$23.42 Ft 7,621

269.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

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

$302 AWG 541

$537 Ft 174.6K

-43.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K AWG 32.0K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

7.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 AWG 116

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

50.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 AWG 212

$113 Ft 36.7K

4.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 AWG 1,167

$805 Ft 262.0K

-19.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 AWG 2,540

$629 Ft 204.7K

125.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,256 AWG 5,828

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

110.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,034 AWG 7,222

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

245.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 AWG 3,377

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

16.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

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

Last update for Aruba: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aruba

$1.4K 59.6%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 55.7% $790

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aruba

$453 19%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 52.1% $236

Eating Out

Aruba

$269 11.3%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 16.5% $44

Groceries & Markets

Aruba

$148 * 6.2%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 74.6% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Aruba

$82 * 3.5%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 105% $87

Getting Around

Aruba

$10 * 0.4%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 337% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Aruba

- * 0%

Budapest

$85 5.2%

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 $652 in Aruba and $805 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aruba pays 16% 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: $91.0 in Aruba vs $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries flip the comparison at $148 vs $258, with Aruba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Aruba

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

13:56 1:56 PM

6 h ahead of Aruba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.499 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.499 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 AWG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aruba Budapest 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Aruba
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

Aruba vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aruba and Budapest differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($2,376 vs $1,621 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Aruba, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $652 in Aruba versus $805 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Aruba pay roughly 75% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,376 per month in Aruba versus $1,621 in Budapest – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,621 in Budapest versus $2,376 in Aruba, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Aruba. The gap between the two cities makes Budapest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Aruba 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.

Expats usually find Budapest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Aruba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.