Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Caldas da Rainha

For one person, living is cheaper in Caldas da Rainha: $1,532 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Caldas da Rainha
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Caldas da Rainha Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Caldas da Rainha

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Caldas da Rainha

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 Caldas da Rainha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Caldas da Rainha $1,532

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,352 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Caldas da Rainha $2,352

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,172 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Caldas da Rainha $3,172

Budapest costs about 6% more than Caldas da Rainha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Caldas da Rainha sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Caldas da Rainha by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$15.73 €14.03

-11.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$50.9 €45.38

18.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$10.22 €9.12

-2.54%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.05 €1.83

64.88%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$2.36 €2.10

-9.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$1.42 €1.26

31.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.78 €2.48

34.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.87 €3.46

-7.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.07 €0.95

5.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.44 €1.28

27.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.56 €1.39

53.21%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$3.01 €2.69

27.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$10.38 €9.26

9.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$7.26 €6.48

-7.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$12.81 €11.44

14.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$1.87 €1.67

-1.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.33 €1.18

51.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.68 €1.50

40.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$2.46 €2.19

53.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.92 €1.71

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.88 €1.68

-45.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.29 €1.15

20.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.84 €0.75

-21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$5.74 €5.12

38.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$3.95 €3.53

52.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.64 €1.46

-20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$1.72 €1.54

20.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$3.67 €3.27

-59.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$34.14 €30.46

-19.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$2.83 €2.53

16.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.91 €1.71

-5.24%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$33.8K €30.2K

-13.22%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$37.7K €33.7K

-9.61%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$108 €96.0

58.00%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$18.14 €16.19

32.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$38.70 €34.54

-39.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$48.88 €43.62

35.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$27.78 €24.79

-30.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$8.78 €7.84

8.43%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$399 €356

34.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$5,537 €4,941

199.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$95.8 €85.5

5.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$42.87 €38.26

0.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$112 €100

0.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$68.4 €61.1

73.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$891 €795

-9.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$671 €599

-6.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$1,401 €1,251

10.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$1,122 €1,001

4.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,845 €2,539

97.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$2,284 €2,038

73.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$1,145 €1,022

41.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

3.11

106.75%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Caldas da Rainha: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Caldas da Rainha

$671 43.4% 6.6% $42

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Caldas da Rainha

$230 14.9% 10.8% $28

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Caldas da Rainha

$218 14.1% 2.9% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Caldas da Rainha

$164 10.6% 24.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Caldas da Rainha

$144 9.3% 15% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Caldas da Rainha

$66 4.3% 22.1% $19

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Caldas da Rainha

$52 * 3.3% 18.9% $8.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $891 in Caldas da Rainha. 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 42% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $230 – making Caldas da Rainha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇹 Caldas da Rainha

🕒 Local time

14:11 2:11 PM

13:11 1:11 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

50,917

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Caldas da Rainha 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Caldas da Rainha

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 Caldas da Rainha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,298 in Caldas da Rainha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 24% less in Caldas da Rainha. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $399 in Caldas da Rainha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Caldas da Rainha, where all-in costs run around $1,532, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Caldas da Rainha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Caldas da Rainha – 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 Caldas da Rainha. 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.