Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and El Nido

For one person, living is cheaper in El Nido: $739 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in El Nido
Learn more

El Nido Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

El Nido

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $739 in El Nido, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
El Nido $739

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,148 in El Nido, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
El Nido $1,148

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,557 in El Nido, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
El Nido $1,557

Budapest costs about 122% more than El Nido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while El Nido is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$4.84 ₱305

190.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$28.13 ₱1,771

116.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$3.70 ₱233

180.27%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.25 ₱142

53.78%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.17 ₱73.8

76.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.32 ₱20.45

453.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.30 ₱81.8

183.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$1.99 ₱125

90.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.59 ₱100

-27.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.00 ₱63.1

85.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.29 ₱81.4

86.05%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$1.95 ₱123

104.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$5.33 ₱336

113.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$3.98 ₱250

72.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$6.98 ₱439

107.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$2.25 ₱142

-16.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.54 ₱97.1

38.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$2.26 ₱142

1.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$1.16 ₱72.8

248.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$1.95 ₱123

-47.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.01 ₱127

-50.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.92 ₱58.0

71.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.53 ₱33.65

32.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$3.35 ₱211

139.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$7.24 ₱456

-14.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.00 ₱62.9

24.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.87 ₱118

10.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.24 ₱15.07

562.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$10.28 ₱648

167.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$0.85 ₱53.8

303.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.20 ₱12.47

565.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$1.72 ₱108

1088.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.31 ₱82.3

47.33%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

51.90%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

60.81%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$121 ₱7,638

43.92%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$14.38 ₱906

64.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$24.44 ₱1,539

-3.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$34.90 ₱2,197

97.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$3.99 ₱251

382.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$5.23 ₱329

97.13%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$124 ₱7,818

331.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,869 ₱432.4K

145.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$33.86 ₱2,132

194.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$18.81 ₱1,185

130.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$66.9 ₱4,211

67.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$49.95 ₱3,145

138.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$269 ₱17.0K

208.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$177 ₱11.2K

255.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$535 ₱33.7K

196.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$358 ₱22.5K

234.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$2,607 ₱164.1K

119.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$900 ₱56.7K

338.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$257 ₱16.2K

566.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.79

-5.01%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for El Nido: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

El Nido

$177 24% 71.8% $452

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

El Nido

$174 23.6% 33.5% $88

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

El Nido

$93 12.6% 58.8% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

El Nido

$160 21.7% 27.8% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

El Nido

$76 10.3% 54.7% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

El Nido

$45 6.1% 49.3% $44

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

El Nido

$13 1.8% 70.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $269 in El Nido. 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 567% 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 $28.00 in El Nido. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $174 – making El Nido the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇭 El Nido

🕒 Local time

22:35 10:35 PM

04:35 4:35 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

50,494

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest El Nido 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
El Nido

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 Nido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 122%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,109 in El Nido. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 168% less in El Nido. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $124 in El Nido. 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 Nido, where all-in costs run around $739, than in Budapest at $1,641. In El Nido it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward El Nido – 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 Nido. 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.