Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Acapulco

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $859 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
Learn more

Acapulco Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Acapulco

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Acapulco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $859 in Acapulco, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Acapulco $859

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,435 in Acapulco, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Acapulco $1,435

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,012 in Acapulco, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Acapulco $2,012

Budapest costs about 88% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Acapulco is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$9.48 MX$175

47.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$37.64 MX$696

62.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$11.97 MX$221

-14.87%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.76 MX$69.5

-13.30%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.63 MX$30.10

31.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.66 MX$30.65

7.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.00 MX$55.4

23.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.79 MX$88.4

-21.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.59 MX$29.36

-27.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$2.89 MX$53.5

-38.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.68 MX$31.11

48.21%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.79 MX$33.06

117.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$6.64 MX$123

67.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$8.04 MX$149

-17.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.78 MX$199

36.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$4.58 MX$84.7

-60.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.65 MX$30.46

24.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$3.38 MX$62.5

-29.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.13 MX$57.9

24.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.47 MX$64.2

-71.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.96 MX$54.7

-66.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.31 MX$24.12

20.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.78 MX$14.46

-14.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$8.16 MX$151

-2.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.66 MX$123

-6.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.12 MX$20.74

13.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.70 MX$49.94

-24.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.88 MX$16.27

72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.85 MX$89.6

-31.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.47 MX$27.16

23.81%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.1K MX$389.7K

41.28%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.8K MX$458.4K

36.31%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$39.89 MX$737

328.98%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$14.81 MX$274

58.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$21.72 MX$401

7.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$19.02 MX$351

255.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$13.85 MX$256

36.39%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$3.87 MX$71.6

140.31%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$162 MX$2,994

229.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$64.4 MX$1,191

54.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$44.58 MX$824

-2.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$107 MX$1,985

2.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$83.2 MX$1,538

42.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$519 MX$9,593

59.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$150 MX$2,763

316.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$956 MX$17.7K

66.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$331 MX$6,118

253.49%

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)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$449 MX$8,293

267.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

11.6

-44.40%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Acapulco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Acapulco

$150 17.4% 76% $472

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Acapulco

$269 31.3% 4.1% $11

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Acapulco

$195 22.7% 12.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Acapulco

$76 8.9% 64.9% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Acapulco

$135 15.7% 19.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Acapulco

$27 3.1% 68.9% $59

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1% 81.1% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $519 in Acapulco. 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 268% 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $38.00 in Acapulco. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $269 in Acapulco – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

09:54 9:54 AM

8 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

658,609

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Acapulco 10,640 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Acapulco

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

Budapest vs Acapulco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest costs about 88% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,288 in Acapulco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acapulco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,619 in Budapest and $859 in Acapulco. That's a gap of about 88%.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $162 in Acapulco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Acapulco, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Acapulco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Acapulco costs $859 versus $1,619 in Budapest. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Acapulco. 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.