Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and El Medano

Name: El Medano
Address: El Medano, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in El Medano: $1,447 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
71

Cost of Living Index in El Medano
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El Medano Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

El Medano

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in El Medano

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,447 in El Medano, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
El Medano $1,447

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,394 in El Medano, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
El Medano $2,394

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,342 in El Medano, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
El Medano $3,342

Budapest costs about 12% more than El Medano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and El Medano sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, El Medano by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$20.37 €18.12

-31.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$61.7 €54.9

-0.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$11.38 €10.13

-10.46%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.99 €1.77

63.82%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.90 €1.69

12.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.30 €1.16

36.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.76 €2.45

34.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.28 €2.91

14.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.32 €1.18

-12.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$2.41 €2.14

-25.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.59 €1.41

56.60%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$4.18 €3.72

-6.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$14.57 €12.96

-23.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$9.25 €8.23

-28.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$17.98 €15.99

-18.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.48 €2.21

-26.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.28 €2.03

-10.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.25 €2.00

5.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.53 €2.25

54.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.10 €1.87

-52.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.93 €1.72

-48.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.64 €1.46

-3.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.98 €0.87

-31.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.52 €4.91

44.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.73 €6.88

-19.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.68 €1.50

-24.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.38 €1.23

47.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.67 €1.49

-8.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$25.49 €22.67

9.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.08 €3.63

-18.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.73 €1.54

-20.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$16.58 €14.75

19.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.25 €1.11

45.60%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$27.1K €24.1K

9.80%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$28.8K €25.7K

17.21%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$98.8 €87.9

73.22%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$22.46 €19.98

4.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$35.17 €31.28

-33.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$44.58 €39.66

51.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$15.75 €14.01

19.94%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$9.90 €8.81

-6.06%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$407 €362

31.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,118 €4,553

227.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$92.2 €82.0

8.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$41.86 €37.24

3.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$90.2 €80.3

22.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$114 €102

4.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$895 €796

-7.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$468 €416

32.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,354 €1,205

17.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,027 €913

13.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,258 €2,898

79.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,228 €1,982

74.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.56

81.18%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for El Medano: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

El Medano

$468 32.3% 24.8% $154

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

El Medano

$307 21.2% 19% $49

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

El Medano

$254 17.6% 14% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

El Medano

$156 10.8% 28.2% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

El Medano

$152 10.5% 9.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

El Medano

$64 4.5% 25.2% $22

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

El Medano

$45 3.1% 1.5% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $895 in El Medano. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $62.0 in El Medano. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $307 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇪🇸 El Medano

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

02:24 2:24 AM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

2,500

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest El Medano 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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El Medano

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 El Medano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,171 in El Medano. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 10% less in El Medano. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $407 in El Medano. 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 El Medano, where all-in costs run around $1,447, than in Budapest at $1,619. In El Medano it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward El Medano – 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 El Medano. 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.