Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $755 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
Learn more

Baguio Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Baguio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,621 in Budapest versus $755 in Baguio.

Budapest $1,621
Baguio $755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,555 in Budapest versus $1,183 in Baguio.

Budapest $2,555
Baguio $1,183

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in Budapest versus $1,611 in Baguio.

Budapest $3,489
Baguio $1,611

Living in Budapest is roughly 115% more expensive than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 21% above, Baguio is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$3.97 ₱249

252.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$16.85 ₱1,060

258.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$2.76 ₱174

260.87%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$1.84 ₱115

83.70%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$0.60 ₱37.85

255.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.34 ₱21.46

450.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$1.01 ₱63.8

271.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$1.64 ₱103

117.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.69 ₱106

-33.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$1.13 ₱71.1

62.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.03 ₱64.7

132.04%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$2.02 ₱127

89.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$4.96 ₱312

128.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$3.37 ₱212

100.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$7.68 ₱483

91.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$2.31 ₱145

-20.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.60 ₱100

25.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.33 ₱147

1.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$1.08 ₱67.7

249.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$1.67 ₱105

-42.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$1.72 ₱108

-40.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.67 ₱42.02

132.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.53 ₱33.24

24.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$2.98 ₱188

167.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$8.72 ₱548

-31.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$0.97 ₱61.3

34.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$2.08 ₱131

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.25 ₱15.77

500.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$12.66 ₱796

118.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$0.83 ₱52.1

297.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.25 ₱15.82

420.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$1.89 ₱119

946.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.25 ₱78.9

44.80%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

38.72%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

76.19%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$142 ₱8,935

19.62%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$17.90 ₱1,126

33.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$23.77 ₱1,495

-1.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$21.07 ₱1,325

214.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$5.18 ₱326

270.27%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$5.15 ₱324

84.85%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$132 ₱8,329

305.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$10.8K ₱677.2K

54.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$29.14 ₱1,832

247.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$19.94 ₱1,254

115.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$73.0 ₱4,591

54.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$55.5 ₱3,489

114.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$403 ₱25.3K

99.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$195 ₱12.2K

223.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$824 ₱51.8K

88.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$460 ₱28.9K

153.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,677 ₱168.4K

109.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$928 ₱58.3K

327.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$185 ₱11.6K

780.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

6.75

-4.74%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Baguio

$195 25.8% 69.1% $435

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Baguio

$175 23.2% 32.1% $83

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Baguio

$74 9.8% 66.9% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Baguio

$184 24.4% 15.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Baguio

$80 10.6% 52.8% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 63.2% $54

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 63.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $805 in Budapest and $403 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 780% 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 $17.00 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $175 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

04:47 4:47 AM

10:47 10:47 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

366,358

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Budapest Baguio 9,510 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Baguio

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 Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 115% lower than in Budapest. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 780% 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 $403 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,621 per month in Budapest versus $755 in Baguio – a 115% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Baguio runs roughly 118% less than in Budapest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $755 in Baguio versus $1,621 in Budapest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baguio but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Baguio the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Baguio delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $755 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Baguio hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Baguio 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 Baguio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 115% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.