Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelos and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelos: $1,190 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Barcelos
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Barcelos Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Barcelos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,190

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Barcelos versus $1,619 in Budapest.

Barcelos $1,190
Budapest $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Barcelos versus $2,524 in Budapest.

Barcelos $1,885
Budapest $2,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,579 in Barcelos versus $3,429 in Budapest.

Barcelos $2,579
Budapest $3,429

Living in Barcelos costs roughly 27% less than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelos is 12% below, Budapest is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.09 €9.86

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-20.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.16 €42.84

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-21.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 €7.87

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-13.15%

Cappuccino

$1.84 €1.63

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-43.56%

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

$1.93 €1.72

$2.14 Ft 690

-9.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.78 Ft 577

-25.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 €3.00

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-9.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.52

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-24.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.15 Ft 371

-3.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.79 Ft 578

3.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.49 Ft 804

-28.11%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.94

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-15.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 €10.61

$11.10 Ft 3,587

7.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$6.62 Ft 2,139

21.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 €13.19

$14.69 Ft 4,745

0.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.83 Ft 591

8.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.05 Ft 661

-33.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.37 Ft 765

-21.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-35.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.99 Ft 320

73.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.63

$1.00 Ft 322

84.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.58 Ft 511

-2.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.67 Ft 216

44.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.84

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-17.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 €4.08

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-26.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.05

$1.27 Ft 411

-6.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.03 Ft 654

8.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.03

$1.52 Ft 490

50.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.15 €19.70

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-20.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 €3.80

$3.31 Ft 1,070

29.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.37 Ft 442

4.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.25 €14.46

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-18.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.82 Ft 589

18.13%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

11.39%

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

$37.8K €33.7K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

11.91%

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

$111 €98.8

$171 Ft 55.3K

-35.10%

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

$17.73 €15.77

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-24.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.28 €39.39

$23.29 Ft 7,526

90.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.52 €34.27

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-42.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.57 €5.84

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-65.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.12 €8.11

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-1.94%

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

$339 €302

$533 Ft 172.3K

-36.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,374 €5,670

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-61.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.5

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-27.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.75 €33.58

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-13.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 €70.0

$110 Ft 35.7K

-28.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.4

$119 Ft 38.4K

-11.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 €439

$830 Ft 268.3K

-40.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 €318

$622 Ft 200.9K

-42.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$895 €796

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-43.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 €619

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-40.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,651 €2,358

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-54.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,510 €1,343

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-61.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,072 €954

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-35.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

6.45

-42.64%

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

Last update for Barcelos: 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

Barcelos

$357 30%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 74.1% $265

Groceries & Markets

Barcelos

$255 21.4%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 1.3% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelos

$173 14.6%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 25.9% $45

Eating Out

Barcelos

$173 14.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 29% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelos

$132 11.1%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 26.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelos

$57 4.8%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 51.7% $29

Getting Around

Barcelos

$43 3.6%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 3.6% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Barcelos and $830 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 54% 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: $48.00 in Barcelos vs $61.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $258 per month, with Barcelos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Barcelos

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

19:52 7:52 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

116,766

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelos Budapest 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelos
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

Barcelos vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 54% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $494 in Barcelos versus $830 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelos – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $61.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Barcelos versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Barcelos but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Barcelos is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Budapest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Barcelos 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 Barcelos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.