Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Aguascalientes

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguascalientes: $1,113 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Aguascalientes
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Aguascalientes Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Aguascalientes

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,113

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Aguascalientes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,621 in Budapest versus $1,113 in Aguascalientes.

Budapest $1,621
Aguascalientes $1,113

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,555 in Budapest versus $1,744 in Aguascalientes.

Budapest $2,555
Aguascalientes $1,744

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in Budapest versus $2,375 in Aguascalientes.

Budapest $3,489
Aguascalientes $2,375

Living in Budapest is roughly 46% more expensive than in Aguascalientes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 21% above, Aguascalientes is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$12.50 MX$229

11.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$44.72 MX$821

34.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$7.00 MX$129

42.29%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$3.86 MX$70.9

-12.44%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$1.64 MX$30.09

29.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$1.21 MX$22.21

54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.18 MX$40.03

72.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.26 MX$59.8

9.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.47 MX$26.98

-23.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$2.22 MX$40.72

-17.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.56 MX$28.69

53.21%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.45 MX$45.02

56.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$8.03 MX$147

41.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$8.61 MX$158

-21.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$11.47 MX$211

28.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$2.32 MX$42.51

-20.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.33 MX$24.38

51.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.54 MX$28.29

53.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.76 MX$32.37

114.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.62 MX$29.66

-40.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.36 MX$25.03

-24.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.99 MX$18.21

57.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.83 MX$15.18

-20.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$4.38 MX$80.4

81.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$8.88 MX$163

-32.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.81 MX$33.32

-28.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$3.42 MX$62.8

-39.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.59 MX$10.78

154.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$24.33 MX$447

13.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$1.22 MX$22.36

170.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.16 MX$21.37

12.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$10.96 MX$201

80.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.54 MX$28.21

17.53%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$21.7K MX$397.6K

35.44%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$23.9K MX$438.9K

42.68%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$55.6 MX$1,021

205.70%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$24.71 MX$454

-2.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$24.50 MX$450

-4.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$31.42 MX$577

110.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$22.39 MX$411

-14.34%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$5.16 MX$94.7

84.50%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$220 MX$4,039

144.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$2,916 MX$53.5K

469.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$55.6 MX$1,021

82.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$37.98 MX$697

13.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$104 MX$1,916

8.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$69.9 MX$1,284

69.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$516 MX$9,475

56.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$361 MX$6,620

74.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$810 MX$14.9K

91.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$642 MX$11.8K

81.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,183 MX$21.7K

374.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,176 MX$21.6K

237.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$884 MX$16.2K

83.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

11.2

-42.59%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Aguascalientes: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Aguascalientes

$361 32.7% 42.7% $269

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Aguascalientes

$244 22.2% 5.2% $13

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Aguascalientes

$196 17.8% 12.6% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Aguascalientes

$105 9.5% 51.8% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Aguascalientes

$121 10.9% 28.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Aguascalientes

$42 3.8% 51.1% $44

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Aguascalientes

$34 3.1% 22.4% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $805 in Budapest and $516 in Aguascalientes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 84% 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: $60.0 in Budapest vs $45.00 in Aguascalientes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $244 per month, with Aguascalientes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇽 Aguascalientes

🕒 Local time

08:13 8:13 AM

00:13 12:13 AM

8 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

863,893

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Aguascalientes 10,330 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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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 Aguascalientes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguascalientes is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 84% 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: $805 in Budapest versus $516 in Aguascalientes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Aguascalientes runs roughly 13% less than in Budapest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $537 in Budapest versus $220 in Aguascalientes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,113 in Aguascalientes versus $1,621 in Budapest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Aguascalientes but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Aguascalientes the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Aguascalientes 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, Budapest and Aguascalientes 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 Aguascalientes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.