Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Calama

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $595 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Calama
Learn more

Calama Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Calama

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $595 in Calama, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Calama $595

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,203 in Calama, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Calama $1,203

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,812 in Calama, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Calama $1,812

Budapest costs about 172% more than Calama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Calama is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.95 CLP 6,841

100.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$31.49 CLP 31.0K

94.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.05 CLP 2,018

59.02%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.93 CLP 916

130.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.94 CLP 929

89.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.12 CLP 3,074

18.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$5.23 CLP 5,149

-27.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.10 CLP 1,087

4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.84 CLP 825

113.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.62 CLP 2,575

-4.96%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$4.95 CLP 4,876

-21.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.36 CLP 9,217

18.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.22 CLP 6,119

6.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$7.53 CLP 7,413

95.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.26 CLP 1,242

45.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.05 CLP 1,029

95.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.55 CLP 1,523

52.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.10 CLP 1,081

254.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.90 CLP 884

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.93 CLP 916

7.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.25 CLP 5,170

51.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.19 CLP 4,128

48.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.01 CLP 990

25.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.25 CLP 1,235

62.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.95 CLP 931

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.43 CLP 1,412

-4.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.44 CLP 1,415

26.39%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$40.05 CLP 39.4K

327.27%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$13.28 CLP 13.1K

75.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

30.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$20.74 CLP 20.4K

-8.92%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.69 CLP 4,617

98.29%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$306 CLP 301.6K

74.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$36.08 CLP 35.5K

176.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$28.38 CLP 27.9K

53.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$45.82 CLP 45.1K

140.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$61.8 CLP 60.9K

92.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$327 CLP 322.3K

153.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$102 CLP 100.6K

508.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$807 CLP 794.0K

97.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$608 CLP 599.0K

92.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,403 CLP 1.4M

315.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,229 CLP 1.2M

216.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,110 CLP 1.1M

48.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

29.00%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Calama: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Calama

$102 17.2% 83.6% $520

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Calama

$176 * 29.6% 31.7% $82

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Calama

$114 * 19.1% 49% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Calama

$53 * 9% 75.5% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Calama

$77 13% 53.8% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Calama

$61 10.3% 29.1% $25

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Calama

$11 * 1.8% 75.2% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $327 in Calama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 49% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $31.00 in Calama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $176 – making Calama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇱 Calama

🕒 Local time

20:39 8:39 PM

15:39 3:39 PM

5 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

157,575

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Calama 11,680 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Calama

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 Calama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 172%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $893 in Calama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $31.00 in Calama. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Calama, where all-in costs run around $595, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Calama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calama – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Calama. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.