Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Bataan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bataan: $498 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Bataan
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Bataan Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Bataan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Bataan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $498 in Bataan.

Budapest $1,619
Bataan $498

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $831 in Bataan.

Budapest $2,524
Bataan $831

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $1,165 in Bataan.

Budapest $3,429
Bataan $1,165

Living in Budapest is roughly 225% more expensive than in Bataan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 20% above, Bataan is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$1.39 ₱87.5

902.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$16.77 ₱1,056

265.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$2.79 ₱175

265.23%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.37 ₱86.0

137.96%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.60 ₱37.61

256.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.25 ₱15.77

612.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.98 ₱61.6

278.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.56 ₱98.3

141.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.62 ₱102

-29.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.17 ₱73.7

52.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.01 ₱63.6

146.53%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.81 ₱114

115.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$5.08 ₱320

118.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.00 ₱189

120.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.10 ₱510

81.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.21 ₱139

-17.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.54 ₱97.2

33.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.41 ₱152

-1.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.03 ₱64.8

278.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.74 ₱110

-43.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.78 ₱112

-43.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.61 ₱38.47

159.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.49 ₱30.93

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.26 ₱142

252.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$8.80 ₱554

-29.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.98 ₱61.7

29.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.98 ₱125

2.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.24 ₱15.03

533.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$12.00 ₱756

133.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.82 ₱51.6

303.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.23 ₱14.46

495.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$1.94 ₱122

922.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.01 ₱63.4

80.20%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

40.64%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

75.34%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$47.67 ₱3,002

258.97%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$17.68 ₱1,113

32.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$23.57 ₱1,484

-1.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$32.18 ₱2,026

109.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$4.71 ₱297

301.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.03 ₱316

84.89%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$67.7 ₱4,259

688.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$10.9K ₱687.3K

53.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$28.69 ₱1,807

247.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$19.47 ₱1,226

123.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$71.9 ₱4,528

53.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$56.7 ₱3,572

109.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$167 ₱10.5K

398.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$52.8 ₱3,324

1078.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$274 ₱17.2K

482.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$186 ₱11.7K

529.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,394 ₱150.7K

143.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$977 ₱61.5K

298.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$400 ₱25.2K

312.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.75

-4.44%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bataan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Bataan

$53 10.6% 91.5% $569

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Bataan

$172 34.6% 33.2% $86

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Bataan

$47 9.5% 78.8% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Bataan

$89 17.9% 59.2% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Bataan

$80 16% 52.5% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Bataan

$42 8.5% 51% $44

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Bataan

$15 3% 66.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $167 in Bataan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 313% 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: $61.0 in Budapest vs $17.00 in Bataan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $172 per month, with Bataan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇭 Bataan

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

03:22 3:22 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

6,743

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Bataan 9,650 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Bataan

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 Bataan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bataan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 225% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 313% 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 $167 in Bataan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bataan – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $61.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $498 in Bataan versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bataan but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Bataan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bataan 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 Bataan 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 Bataan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 225% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.