Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Acosta

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $1,752 in Acosta, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Acosta despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
Learn more

Acosta Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,752

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Acosta

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 Acosta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $1,752 in Acosta.

Budapest $1,619
Acosta $1,752

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $2,725 in Acosta.

Budapest $2,524
Acosta $2,725

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $3,698 in Acosta.

Budapest $3,429
Acosta $3,698

Living in Budapest costs roughly 8% less than in Acosta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 20% above, Acosta 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$11.88 ₡5,328

17.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$59.0 ₡26.4K

3.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$11.56 ₡5,184

-11.85%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.17 ₡1,869

-21.82%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.54 ₡1,138

-15.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.85 ₡830

-3.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.19 ₡1,432

16.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.37 ₡1,960

-13.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.09 ₡938

-44.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$2.47 ₡1,110

-27.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.30 ₡1,032

8.26%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.75 ₡1,680

4.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.95 ₡4,912

1.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$10.91 ₡4,894

-39.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$15.12 ₡6,781

-2.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$5.79 ₡2,595

-68.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.78 ₡799

15.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$3.53 ₡1,584

-32.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.23 ₡1,448

20.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.26 ₡1,464

-69.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$3.44 ₡1,544

-70.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.05 ₡471

50.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$2.39 ₡1,073

-71.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.94 ₡2,215

61.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$17.53 ₡7,861

-64.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.27 ₡1,019

-44.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.46 ₡1,104

-17.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.15 ₡516

32.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.29 ₡1,026

44.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.59 ₡715

-13.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$9.52 ₡4,271

108.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.46 ₡653

24.66%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$22.2K ₡10.0M

34.09%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$30.8K ₡13.8M

9.79%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$93.7 ₡42.0K

82.57%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$34.27 ₡15.4K

-31.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$57.5 ₡25.8K

-59.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$76.9 ₡34.5K

-12.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.96 ₡3,571

16.83%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$845 ₡379.1K

-36.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$18.3K ₡8.2M

-8.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$81.0 ₡36.3K

23.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-21.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$143 ₡64.0K

-22.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$114 ₡51.3K

4.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$787 ₡353.0K

5.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$686 ₡307.7K

-9.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,977 ₡886.4K

-19.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,274 ₡571.5K

-8.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,943 ₡871.5K

200.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,511 ₡677.5K

9.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.62

-25.17%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Acosta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Acosta

$686 39.2% 10.3% $64

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Acosta

$373 21.3% 44.8% $116

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Acosta

$222 12.7% 0.4% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Acosta

$186 10.6% 14.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Acosta

$177 10.1% 5.6% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Acosta

$93 5.3% 7.8% $6.7

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Acosta

$15 * 0.9% 66.4% $29

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 $830 in Budapest and $787 in Acosta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Budapest vs $59.0 in Acosta. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $373, with Budapest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇷 Acosta

🕒 Local time

09:35 9:35 AM

01:35 1:35 AM

8 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

3,072

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

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).

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).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Acosta 10,180 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Acosta

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 Acosta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Acosta differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,619 vs $1,752 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Budapest, 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: $830 in Budapest versus $787 in Acosta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Acosta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,619 per month in Budapest versus $1,752 in Acosta – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,619 in Budapest versus $1,752 in Acosta, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Acosta. 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, Budapest and Acosta 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 8% less than in Acosta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.