Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atenas and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in Atenas and in Budapest: $1,546 and $1,619 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Atenas
Learn more

Atenas Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Atenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,546

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,546 per month in Atenas vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Atenas $1,546
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,543 per month in Atenas vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Atenas $2,543
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,540 per month in Atenas vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Atenas $3,540
Budapest $3,429

Atenas is about 5% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Atenas and Budapest sit above the global median – Atenas by 15%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.58 ₡4,298

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-31.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.8 ₡25.5K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-7.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,314

$10.19 Ft 3,291

16.29%

Cappuccino

$3.82 ₡1,711

$3.26 Ft 1,055

17.18%

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

$2.64 ₡1,186

$2.14 Ft 690

23.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₡852

$1.78 Ft 577

6.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 ₡1,459

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-12.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₡1,966

$3.77 Ft 1,217

16.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,070

$1.15 Ft 371

107.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,401

$1.79 Ft 578

74.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ₡957

$2.49 Ft 804

-14.46%

Eggs

$3.41 ₡1,528

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-12.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 ₡4,802

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-3.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 ₡4,426

$6.62 Ft 2,139

49.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,646

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-29.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 ₡1,921

$1.83 Ft 591

133.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡704

$2.05 Ft 661

-23.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 ₡1,148

$2.37 Ft 765

8.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,071

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-38.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.70 ₡1,660

$0.99 Ft 320

273.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 ₡1,205

$1.00 Ft 322

169.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡500

$1.58 Ft 511

-29.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,387

$0.67 Ft 216

361.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,690

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-24.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.30 ₡8,207

$6.22 Ft 2,009

194.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 ₡1,200

$1.27 Ft 411

111.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₡1,208

$2.03 Ft 654

32.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 ₡1,001

$1.52 Ft 490

46.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 ₡1,067

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-28.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₡725

$1.37 Ft 442

18.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.83 ₡3,960

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-55.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.82 Ft 589

-14.29%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-25.12%

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

$34.6K ₡15.5M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

2.38%

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

$95.7 ₡42.9K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-44.09%

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

$35.36 ₡15.9K

$23.51 Ft 7,596

50.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 ₡22.8K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

118.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 ₡21.7K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-28.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.78 ₡4,835

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-42.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.90 ₡3,542

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-15.05%

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

$994 ₡445.7K

$533 Ft 172.3K

86.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,652 ₡3.0M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-60.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 ₡31.8K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-28.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 ₡24.7K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

26.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.2K

$110 Ft 35.7K

15.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 ₡58.0K

$119 Ft 38.4K

8.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$648 ₡290.6K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-21.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 ₡246.8K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-11.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 ₡682.3K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-4.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 ₡574.3K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

9.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,322 ₡592.9K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-19.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.45

33.64%

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

Last update for Atenas: 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

Atenas

$550 35.6%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 13% $72

Groceries & Markets

Atenas

$356 23.1%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 27.6% $98

Eating Out

Atenas

$201 13%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 10.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atenas

$182 11.8%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 19.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Atenas

$172 11.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 2.8% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Atenas

$64 4.2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 34% $22

Getting Around

Atenas

$19 * 1.3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 128% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $648 in Atenas 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 25% 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 $57.0 in Atenas versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $356 in Atenas vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Atenas

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

23:23 11:23 PM

07:23 7:23 AM

8 h ahead of Atenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Atenas Budapest 10,180 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Atenas
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

Atenas vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,319 per month in Atenas 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 Atenas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Atenas and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 38% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Atenas, where all-in costs run around $1,546, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Atenas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Atenas – 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 Atenas. 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.