Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Castro

For one person, living is cheaper in Castro: $875 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Castro
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Castro Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Castro

🇨🇱 Chile

$875

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Castro

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $875 in Castro, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Castro $875

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,381 in Castro, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Castro $1,381

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,887 in Castro, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Castro $1,887

Budapest costs about 85% more than Castro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Castro is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$8.29 CLP 8,163

68.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$46.10 CLP 45.4K

32.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.66 CLP 5,568

80.04%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.49 CLP 1,464

118.79%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.20 CLP 1,181

78.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.01 CLP 990

76.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$5.15 CLP 5,066

-27.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$7.29 CLP 7,173

-48.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.08 CLP 1,065

6.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$3.51 CLP 3,451

-49.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.25 CLP 1,232

99.20%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$4.12 CLP 4,056

-5.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.67 CLP 9,523

14.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.03 CLP 3,965

64.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.49 CLP 8,358

73.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.40 CLP 1,373

30.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.30 CLP 2,268

-10.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.48 CLP 1,461

60.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.98 CLP 1,947

96.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.13 CLP 1,109

-12.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.52 CLP 1,494

3.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.56 CLP 1,531

-57.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.75 CLP 3,688

112.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.78 CLP 7,662

-20.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.00 CLP 987

27.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.13 CLP 3,085

-35.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.66 CLP 654

130.30%

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

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.30 CLP 1,282

40.00%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$15.5K CLP 15.2M

92.75%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$18.2K CLP 17.9M

85.57%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$131 CLP 128.8K

30.77%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$31.25 CLP 30.8K

-25.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$81.0 CLP 79.7K

36.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$355 CLP 349.2K

134.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$290 CLP 285.5K

114.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,002 CLP 986.6K

59.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$576 CLP 566.8K

103.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$614 CLP 604.7K

168.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-7.86%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Castro: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Castro

$290 33.2% 53.4% $332

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Castro

$234 * 26.7% 9.4% $24

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Castro

$150 17.2% 32.6% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Castro

$162 * 18.5% 25.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Castro

$36 * 4.2% 78.3% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Castro

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Castro

$2.7 * 0.3% 94% $42

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 $355 in Castro. 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 169% 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 $46.00 in Castro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $234 – making Castro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇱 Castro

🕒 Local time

06:03 6:03 AM

01:03 1:03 AM

5 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

33,417

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Between locations

Budapest Castro 13,510 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Castro

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 Castro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,313 in Castro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 10% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $46.00 in Castro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Castro, where all-in costs run around $875, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Castro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Castro – 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 Castro. 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.