Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Chimaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Chimaltenango: $745 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Chimaltenango
Learn more

Chimaltenango Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Chimaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Chimaltenango

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $745 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Chimaltenango $745

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,229 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Chimaltenango $1,229

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,712 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Chimaltenango $1,712

Budapest costs about 118% more than Chimaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Chimaltenango is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$6.92 Q 52.9

102.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$49.80 Q 381

21.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$7.69 Q 58.8

29.52%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$3.36 Q 25.67

0.60%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$1.16 Q 8.88

83.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.93 Q 7.10

101.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$3.19 Q 24.36

17.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$4.85 Q 37.04

-26.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$2.00 Q 15.30

-43.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$3.13 Q 23.94

-41.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.09 Q 15.96

14.35%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.56 Q 19.59

49.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$6.46 Q 49.37

75.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$9.44 Q 72.1

-28.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$13.47 Q 103

9.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$4.00 Q 30.54

-54.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.66 Q 12.66

21.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.82 Q 21.56

-16.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.66 Q 12.70

127.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.48 Q 11.27

-35.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$2.10 Q 16.08

-50.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.68 Q 5.17

129.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.15 Q 8.78

-42.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$3.99 Q 30.48

99.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$8.36 Q 63.9

-28.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.75 Q 13.36

-25.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.68 Q 20.49

-22.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$5.27 Q 40.28

-37.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$10.27 Q 78.5

92.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.21 Q 9.28

49.59%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$27.9K Q 213.3K

5.07%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$25.3K Q 193.1K

34.95%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$72.4 Q 553

134.76%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$29.30 Q 224

-18.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$47.04 Q 359

-50.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$6.34 Q 48.43

50.16%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$338 Q 2,583

58.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$6,593 Q 50.4K

151.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$49.38 Q 377

105.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$47.63 Q 364

-9.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$116 Q 889

-3.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$114 Q 873

3.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

11.62

-44.66%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chimaltenango: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Chimaltenango

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Chimaltenango

$282 37.7% 9.6% $25

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Chimaltenango

$153 20.4% 31.9% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Chimaltenango

$149 19.9% 31.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Chimaltenango

$147 19.7% 12.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Chimaltenango

$13 * 1.7% 85.1% $73

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Chimaltenango

$5.3 * 0.7% 87.9% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $50.0 in Chimaltenango. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $282 in Chimaltenango – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇹 Chimaltenango

🕒 Local time

06:57 6:57 AM

22:57 10:57 PM

8 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

43,900

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR 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).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.57 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Chimaltenango 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Chimaltenango

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 Chimaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,117 in Chimaltenango. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest and $50.0 in Chimaltenango. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chimaltenango, where all-in costs run around $745, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Chimaltenango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chimaltenango – 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 Chimaltenango. 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.