Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Boracay

For one person, living is cheaper in Boracay: $772 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Boracay
Learn more

Boracay Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Boracay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Boracay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $772 in Boracay.

Budapest $1,619
Boracay $772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $1,313 in Boracay.

Budapest $2,524
Boracay $1,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $1,854 in Boracay.

Budapest $3,429
Boracay $1,854

Living in Budapest is roughly 110% more expensive than in Boracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 20% above, Boracay is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$5.73 ₱361

143.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$19.15 ₱1,206

219.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.94 ₱374

71.55%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.37 ₱149

37.55%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.70 ₱43.78

205.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.23 ₱14.44

673.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.16 ₱73.0

219.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.92 ₱121

96.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.95 ₱186

-61.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.98 ₱61.9

82.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.89 ₱56.3

179.78%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.93 ₱122

102.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$5.13 ₱323

116.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.78 ₱301

38.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$7.28 ₱459

101.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.51 ₱158

-27.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.59 ₱100

28.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.21 ₱139

7.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.08 ₱67.9

261.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.11 ₱133

-53.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.02 ₱127

-50.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.99 ₱62.5

59.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.57 ₱35.84

17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.28 ₱144

249.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.76 ₱489

-19.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.96 ₱60.5

32.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.75 ₱110

16.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.24 ₱15.09

533.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$11.23 ₱707

149.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.66 ₱41.52

401.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.23 ₱14.18

495.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$1.94 ₱122

922.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.11 ₱69.7

63.96%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$23.7K ₱1.5M

25.93%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$22.0K ₱1.4M

53.48%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$111 ₱6,979

54.38%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$14.23 ₱896

65.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$33.84 ₱2,131

-31.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$29.95 ₱1,886

125.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$5.12 ₱323

268.95%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.26 ₱331

76.81%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$136 ₱8,591

290.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$8,041 ₱506.2K

108.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$36.09 ₱2,272

176.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$19.21 ₱1,209

126.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$75.8 ₱4,773

45.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$59.1 ₱3,723

101.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$268 ₱16.9K

209.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$174 ₱10.9K

257.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$523 ₱32.9K

204.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$614 ₱38.6K

90.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,441 ₱153.7K

138.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$979 ₱61.7K

297.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$229 ₱14.4K

620.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.79

-5.01%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Boracay: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Boracay

$174 22.5% 72% $448

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Boracay

$193 25% 25.1% $65

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Boracay

$105 13.7% 52.7% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Boracay

$159 20.6% 27.1% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Boracay

$86 11.1% 48.9% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Boracay

$40 5.3% 53% $46

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Boracay

$14 1.8% 68.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $268 in Boracay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 621% 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 $19.00 in Boracay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $193 per month, with Boracay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇭 Boracay

🕒 Local time

21:49 9:49 PM

03:49 3:49 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

12,296

💱 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 Boracay 9,970 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Boracay

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 Boracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Boracay differ by about 110% in total monthly costs ($1,619 vs $772 including rent). Boracay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 621% 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 $268 in Boracay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Boracay – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $61.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $772 in Boracay versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Boracay but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Boracay 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 Boracay 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 Boracay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.