Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,334 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Guatemala City

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,334 in Guatemala City, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Guatemala City $1,334

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,040 in Guatemala City, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Guatemala City $2,040

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,746 in Guatemala City, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Guatemala City $2,746

Budapest costs about 22% more than Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Guatemala City sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Guatemala City by 0%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$6.84 Q 52.2

104.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$49.83 Q 381

21.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$7.72 Q 59.0

29.02%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$3.24 Q 24.80

4.32%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$1.11 Q 8.46

91.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.98 Q 7.49

90.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$3.22 Q 24.59

16.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$4.88 Q 37.29

-26.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$2.11 Q 16.11

-46.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$3.04 Q 23.22

-39.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.09 Q 15.96

14.35%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.51 Q 19.15

52.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$6.16 Q 47.09

83.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$9.55 Q 73.0

-29.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$13.51 Q 103

8.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$4.00 Q 30.54

-54.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.71 Q 13.05

17.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.83 Q 21.63

-16.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.65 Q 12.61

128.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.49 Q 11.37

-35.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$2.12 Q 16.21

-51.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.68 Q 5.20

129.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.20 Q 9.16

-45.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$4.11 Q 31.39

93.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$8.11 Q 61.9

-25.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.74 Q 13.30

-25.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.73 Q 20.83

-23.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$1.29 Q 9.88

16.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$14.31 Q 109

92.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$5.16 Q 39.46

-36.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$10.46 Q 79.9

89.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.33 Q 10.17

36.09%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$27.3K Q 208.8K

7.31%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$25.3K Q 193.6K

34.66%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$73.2 Q 559

132.22%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$28.62 Q 219

-16.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$45.27 Q 346

-48.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$40.18 Q 307

64.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$13.22 Q 101

45.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$6.60 Q 50.5

44.24%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$334 Q 2,554

60.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$6,809 Q 52.0K

143.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$49.72 Q 380

103.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$48.13 Q 368

-10.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$120 Q 916

-5.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$112 Q 857

5.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$837 Q 6,396

-3.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$534 Q 4,082

17.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$1,537 Q 11.7K

0.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$803 Q 6,139

45.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,071 Q 15.8K

171.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,092 Q 8,343

263.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$841 Q 6,425

93.36%

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 Guatemala City: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Guatemala City

$534 39.8% 15.1% $95

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Guatemala City

$283 21.1% 9.7% $25

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Guatemala City

$151 11.3% 32.7% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Guatemala City

$147 11% 32.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Guatemala City

$148 11.1% 12.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Guatemala City

$53 4% 37.4% $32

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Guatemala City

$25 * 1.8% 43.2% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $837 in Guatemala City. 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 93% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $50.0 in Guatemala City. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $283 in Guatemala City – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

14:26 2:26 PM

06:26 6:26 AM

8 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

2,450,212 Capital

💱 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 = 8.56 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Guatemala City 10,210 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Guatemala City

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 Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,001 in Guatemala City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 93% less in Guatemala City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $334 in Guatemala City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guatemala City, where all-in costs run around $1,334, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Guatemala City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guatemala City – 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 Guatemala City. 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.