Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Antigua Guatemala

For one person, living is cheaper in Antigua Guatemala: $1,269 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Antigua Guatemala
Learn more

Antigua Guatemala Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Antigua Guatemala

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Antigua Guatemala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,621 in Budapest versus $1,269 in Antigua Guatemala.

Budapest $1,621
Antigua Guatemala $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,555 in Budapest versus $2,123 in Antigua Guatemala.

Budapest $2,555
Antigua Guatemala $2,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in Budapest versus $2,977 in Antigua Guatemala.

Budapest $3,489
Antigua Guatemala $2,977

Living in Budapest is roughly 28% more expensive than in Antigua Guatemala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 21% above, Antigua Guatemala is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$6.63 Q 50.7

111.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$51.7 Q 395

16.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$7.64 Q 58.4

30.37%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$3.41 Q 26.08

-0.88%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$1.15 Q 8.81

85.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.93 Q 7.14

101.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$3.23 Q 24.69

16.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$4.63 Q 35.41

-22.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$2.04 Q 15.60

-44.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$3.11 Q 23.78

-40.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.93 Q 14.76

23.83%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.44 Q 18.65

56.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$5.48 Q 41.88

106.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$9.20 Q 70.3

-26.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$10.54 Q 80.6

39.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$3.79 Q 28.97

-51.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.64 Q 12.55

22.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.83 Q 21.62

-16.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.67 Q 12.75

125.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.53 Q 11.67

-37.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.74 Q 13.27

-40.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.67 Q 5.16

132.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.19 Q 9.10

-44.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$3.86 Q 29.49

106.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$8.02 Q 61.3

-25.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.74 Q 13.30

-25.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.58 Q 19.74

-19.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$2.58 Q 19.75

-41.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$4.56 Q 34.81

-27.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$10.49 Q 80.2

88.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.28 Q 9.82

41.41%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$22.8K Q 174.4K

28.53%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$21.8K Q 166.8K

56.27%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$57.0 Q 436

197.98%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$28.77 Q 220

-16.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$45.71 Q 349

-48.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$41.18 Q 315

60.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$28.13 Q 215

-31.82%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$6.51 Q 49.73

46.24%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$338 Q 2,585

58.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$6,808 Q 52.0K

143.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$43.44 Q 332

133.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$48.13 Q 368

-10.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$92.1 Q 704

22.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$79.5 Q 608

49.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$884 Q 6,757

-8.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$518 Q 3,960

21.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$1,900 Q 14.5K

-18.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$1,195 Q 9,129

-2.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,963 Q 22.6K

89.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,198 Q 9,155

231.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$609 Q 4,655

166.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

11.62

-44.66%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Antigua Guatemala: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Antigua Guatemala

$518 41.3% 17.6% $111

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Antigua Guatemala

$267 21.2% 3.5% $8.9

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Antigua Guatemala

$151 12% 32.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Antigua Guatemala

$132 10.5% 39.5% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Antigua Guatemala

$118 9.4% 30% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Antigua Guatemala

$54 4.3% 36.4% $31

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Antigua Guatemala

$15 * 1.2% 65.7% $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 $805 in Budapest and $884 in Antigua Guatemala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 167% 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 $52.0 in Antigua Guatemala. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $267, with Budapest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇹 Antigua Guatemala

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

8 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

46,054

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, 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).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.56 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Antigua Guatemala 10,240 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Antigua Guatemala

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 Antigua Guatemala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Antigua Guatemala differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,621 vs $1,269 including rent). Antigua Guatemala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 167% 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 $884 in Antigua Guatemala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Budapest versus $338 in Antigua Guatemala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Antigua Guatemala – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $60.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,269 in Antigua Guatemala versus $1,621 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Antigua Guatemala but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Antigua Guatemala 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 Antigua Guatemala 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 Antigua Guatemala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.