Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Celaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Celaya: $921 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Celaya
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Celaya Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Celaya

🇲🇽 Mexico

$921

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Celaya

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $921 in Celaya, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Celaya $921

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,452 in Celaya, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Celaya $1,452

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,982 in Celaya, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Celaya $1,982

Budapest costs about 76% more than Celaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Celaya is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$12.49 MX$231

11.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$44.05 MX$814

38.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.21 MX$133

41.33%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.37 MX$62.3

-3.26%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.23 MX$22.76

73.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.07 MX$19.84

66.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.14 MX$39.49

73.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.36 MX$62.1

12.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.44 MX$26.70

-20.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$2.26 MX$41.83

-20.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.48 MX$27.29

68.24%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.15 MX$39.71

81.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.93 MX$147

39.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$8.40 MX$155

-21.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.30 MX$209

30.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.29 MX$42.37

-20.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.12 MX$20.63

83.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.54 MX$28.53

53.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.08 MX$19.91

261.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.56 MX$28.74

-36.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.39 MX$25.67

-28.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.98 MX$18.12

61.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.80 MX$14.87

-16.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.33 MX$80.0

83.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$8.72 MX$161

-28.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.83 MX$33.89

-30.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.40 MX$62.9

-40.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.63 MX$11.61

141.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$27.70 MX$512

1.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.20 MX$22.14

175.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.13 MX$20.95

21.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$10.77 MX$199

84.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.43 MX$26.33

27.27%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.5K MX$398.1K

38.30%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.0K MX$444.0K

40.72%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$37.60 MX$695

355.11%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$19.37 MX$358

21.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$19.55 MX$361

19.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$33.06 MX$611

104.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$27.48 MX$508

-31.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.13 MX$94.7

81.29%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$210 MX$3,873

154.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$2,882 MX$53.3K

481.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$55.2 MX$1,019

80.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$38.02 MX$703

14.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$103 MX$1,897

7.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$70.9 MX$1,310

67.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$248 MX$4,588

234.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$220 MX$4,072

182.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$390 MX$7,208

308.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$283 MX$5,231

313.41%

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

$817 MX$15.1K

102.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

11.2

-42.41%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Celaya: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Celaya

$220 23.9% 64.6% $402

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Celaya

$235 25.6% 8.7% $22

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Celaya

$189 20.5% 15.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Celaya

$77 8.3% 64.9% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Celaya

$120 13% 28.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Celaya

$43 4.7% 49.7% $43

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Celaya

$37 4% 16.2% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $248 in Celaya. 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 102% 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 $44.00 in Celaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $235 – making Celaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇽 Celaya

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

21:25 9:25 PM

8 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

378,143

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Celaya 10,370 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Celaya

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 Celaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 76%, 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 $1,382 in Celaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 1% less in Celaya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $210 in Celaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Celaya, where all-in costs run around $921, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Celaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Celaya – 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 Celaya. 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.