Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Caracas

For one person, living is cheaper in Caracas: $1,312 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Caracas
Learn more

Caracas Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Caracas

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$1,312

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Caracas

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,312 in Caracas, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Caracas $1,312

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,236 in Caracas, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Caracas $2,236

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,160 in Caracas, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Caracas $3,160

Budapest costs about 24% more than Caracas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Caracas is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$10.63 VES 9,271

31.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$68.2 VES 59.5K

-11.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$10.99 VES 9,589

-9.37%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$3.73 VES 3,258

-9.38%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$1.54 VES 1,346

38.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$1.28 VES 1,119

46.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$2.05 VES 1,792

82.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$2.91 VES 2,540

22.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$2.76 VES 2,407

-59.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$2.32 VES 2,025

-20.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.89 VES 1,651

26.46%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$4.82 VES 4,210

-20.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$10.18 VES 8,879

11.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$9.44 VES 8,241

-28.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$11.51 VES 10.0K

27.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$7.23 VES 6,307

-74.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.96 VES 1,709

2.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.13 VES 1,860

10.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$2.37 VES 2,065

59.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$2.24 VES 1,951

-57.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$2.24 VES 1,952

-54.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.61 VES 1,408

-3.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$2.41 VES 2,099

-72.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$4.57 VES 3,985

74.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$12.02 VES 10.5K

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.37 VES 1,193

-5.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$2.17 VES 1,891

-4.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.51 VES 448

194.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$29.63 VES 25.8K

-6.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$4.88 VES 4,261

-32.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$2.68 VES 2,340

-51.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$15.17 VES 13.2K

30.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.86 VES 752

110.47%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$25.1K VES 21.9M

16.63%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$38.6K VES 33.7M

-11.72%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$22.07 VES 19.3K

670.00%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$11.81 VES 10.3K

103.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$38.64 VES 33.7K

-39.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$66.8 VES 58.3K

-0.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$17.23 VES 15.0K

11.32%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$6.48 VES 5,652

46.91%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$159 VES 139.1K

236.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$6,138 VES 5.4M

170.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$77.8 VES 67.9K

30.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$50.6 VES 44.1K

-14.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$136 VES 118.9K

-17.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$136 VES 118.9K

-12.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$619 VES 539.7K

30.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$418 VES 364.4K

50.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$1,106 VES 964.6K

40.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$887 VES 773.6K

31.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,458 VES 1.3M

285.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$690 VES 602.3K

474.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$304 VES 265.0K

435.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

-70.77%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Caracas: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Caracas

$418 31.4% 33.6% $212

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Caracas

$340 25.6% 31.9% $82

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Caracas

$190 14.3% 15.2% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Caracas

$73 5.5% 66.6% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Caracas

$180 13.6% 6.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Caracas

$80 6% 6.4% $5.5

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Caracas

$50 3.8% 15.1% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $619 in Caracas. 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 435% 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 $68.0 in Caracas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $340 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇻🇪 Caracas

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

02:23 2:23 AM

6 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

3,274,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.15 USD

1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, 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).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 873 VES (1,000 VES = 1.15 USD). 1 EUR = 979 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Caracas 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 Caracas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 24%, 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 $1,968 in Caracas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 7% less in Caracas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $159 in Caracas. 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 Caracas, where all-in costs run around $1,312, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Caracas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Caracas – 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 Caracas. 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.