Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ciudad del Este

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad del Este: $799 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad del Este
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Ciudad del Este Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Ciudad del Este

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ciudad del Este

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 Ciudad del Este actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $799 in Ciudad del Este, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Ciudad del Este $799

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,500 in Ciudad del Este, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Ciudad del Este $1,500

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,201 in Ciudad del Este, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Ciudad del Este $2,201

Budapest costs about 103% more than Ciudad del Este, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Ciudad del Este is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.08 ₲34.6K

129.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$22.70 ₲129.1K

169.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.87 ₲33.4K

73.59%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.31 ₲13.1K

41.13%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.99 ₲5,638

116.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.61 ₲3,492

191.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.03 ₲5,838

260.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.74 ₲9,914

116.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.13 ₲6,405

1.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.55 ₲8,812

15.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.27 ₲7,206

96.06%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.21 ₲12.6K

76.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.15 ₲52.0K

21.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.89 ₲22.1K

70.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.35 ₲47.5K

75.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.05 ₲11.7K

-10.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.27 ₲7,249

61.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$0.98 ₲5,596

141.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.27 ₲7,231

207.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.93 ₲5,284

6.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.94 ₲5,368

6.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.49 ₲2,797

222.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.42 ₲2,399

59.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$1.37 ₲7,814

481.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.40 ₲30.7K

15.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.75 ₲4,286

69.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.74 ₲9,881

16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.91 ₲5,160

67.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.55 ₲8,801

113.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.57 ₲8,923

-12.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$10.48 ₲59.6K

89.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.22 ₲6,955

49.18%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$17.5K ₲99.2M

70.73%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$17.3K ₲98.2M

95.74%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$51.9 ₲295.2K

229.65%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$17.90 ₲101.8K

31.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$18.98 ₲107.9K

22.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$29.72 ₲169.0K

127.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$14.30 ₲81.3K

32.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.20 ₲35.3K

50.00%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$185 ₲1.1M

188.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$1,909 ₲10.9M

777.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$64.1 ₲364.6K

55.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$33.87 ₲192.6K

28.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$99.6 ₲566.4K

10.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$56.8 ₲323.2K

109.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$354 ₲2.0M

134.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$261 ₲1.5M

138.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$744 ₲4.2M

114.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$980 ₲5.6M

19.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,923 ₲10.9M

203.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,420 ₲8.1M

173.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$610 ₲3.5M

170.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

10.15

-36.45%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ciudad del Este: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Ciudad del Este

$261 32.7% 58.1% $361

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Ciudad del Este

$171 21.4% 33.9% $87

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Ciudad del Este

$109 13.6% 51.1% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Ciudad del Este

$89 11.1% 59.3% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Ciudad del Este

$115 14.3% 31.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Ciudad del Este

$42 5.3% 51.1% $44

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ciudad del Este

$13 * 1.6% 70.6% $31

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 $354 in Ciudad del Este. 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 171% 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 $23.00 in Ciudad del Este. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $171 – making Ciudad del Este the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇾 Ciudad del Este

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

00:48 12:48 AM

5 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

320,782

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, 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).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Ciudad del Este 10,940 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Ciudad del Este

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 Ciudad del Este: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 103%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,198 in Ciudad del Este. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $23.00 in Ciudad del Este. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ciudad del Este, where all-in costs run around $799, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ciudad del Este it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ciudad del Este – 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 Ciudad del Este. 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.