Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $994 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$994

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $994 in Brasilia versus $1,621 in Budapest.

Brasilia $994
Budapest $1,621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,593 in Brasilia versus $2,555 in Budapest.

Brasilia $1,593
Budapest $2,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,193 in Brasilia versus $3,489 in Budapest.

Brasilia $2,193
Budapest $3,489

Living in Brasilia costs roughly 39% less than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brasilia is 26% below, Budapest is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.18 R$46.05

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-34.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.43 R$203

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-33.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 R$42.34

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-15.26%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R$13.69

$3.38 Ft 1,102

-19.23%

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

$1.51 R$7.59

$2.13 Ft 693

-29.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$4.99

$1.87 Ft 609

-47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R$11.89

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-36.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 R$19.83

$3.57 Ft 1,163

10.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 R$5.55

$1.13 Ft 369

-1.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 R$10.33

$1.84 Ft 600

11.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.72

$2.39 Ft 777

-43.93%

Eggs

$2.56 R$12.86

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-33.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.60 R$58.2

$11.33 Ft 3,689

2.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 R$20.80

$6.74 Ft 2,194

-38.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 R$46.51

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-36.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 R$11.98

$1.84 Ft 598

29.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.77

$2.01 Ft 654

-22.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.54

$2.36 Ft 767

-44.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R$8.29

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-56.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 R$5.99

$0.96 Ft 314

23.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.22

$1.03 Ft 335

0.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 R$4.14

$1.56 Ft 509

-46.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.80

$0.66 Ft 216

45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.18

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-69.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.15 R$40.87

$6.01 Ft 1,956

35.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R$6.46

$1.30 Ft 422

-0.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 R$12.56

$2.08 Ft 677

20.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.35

$1.50 Ft 490

-28.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.76 R$179

$27.61 Ft 8,991

29.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.52

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.34

$1.30 Ft 424

-33.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.56 R$32.90

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-66.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.47

$1.81 Ft 591

-28.73%

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

$23.9K R$120.1K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-18.37%

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

$33.6K R$168.5K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-1.57%

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

$97.6 R$490

$170 Ft 55.3K

-42.56%

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

$12.78 R$64.1

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-46.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.79 R$114

$23.42 Ft 7,628

-2.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.48 R$173

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-47.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.17 R$141

$19.18 Ft 6,245

46.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.80 R$39.13

$9.52 Ft 3,101

-18.07%

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

$844 R$4,233

$537 Ft 174.8K

57.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K R$84.1K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

0.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 R$285

$101 Ft 33.0K

-44.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.89 R$220

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

2.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 R$433

$113 Ft 36.7K

-23.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 R$448

$119 Ft 38.7K

-24.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 R$2,497

$805 Ft 262.2K

-38.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,413

$629 Ft 204.9K

-55.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$5,802

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-25.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 R$2,878

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-50.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,497 R$12.5K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-55.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,735 R$8,705

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-56.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$848 R$4,256

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-47.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

6.43

88.49%

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

Last update for Brasilia: 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

Brasilia

$282 27.9%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 123% $348

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$213 21.2%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 20.7% $44

Eating Out

Brasilia

$161 16%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 39.1% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$133 13.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 63.2% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$124 12.3%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 36% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$50 5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 70.3% $35

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 4.4% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $498 in Brasilia and $805 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 92% 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: $40.00 in Brasilia vs $60.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $213 vs $258 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

00:21 12:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

5 h ahead of Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brasilia Budapest 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
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

Brasilia vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Budapest differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($994 vs $1,621 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 92% 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: $498 in Brasilia versus $805 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasilia – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $60.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $994 per month in Brasilia versus $1,621 in Budapest – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $994 in Brasilia versus $1,621 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Brasilia 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, Brasilia 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 Brasilia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.