Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Imus

For one person, living is cheaper in Imus: $647 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Imus
Learn more

Imus Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Imus

🇵🇭 Philippines

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Imus

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $647 in Imus, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Imus $647

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $965 in Imus, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Imus $965

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,283 in Imus, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Imus $1,283

Budapest costs about 150% more than Imus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Imus is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.96 ₱249

252.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$17.00 ₱1,070

260.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$2.85 ₱179

257.54%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.86 ₱117

75.27%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.56 ₱35.19

282.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.33 ₱20.78

439.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.02 ₱64.2

263.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.70 ₱107

121.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.68 ₱106

-31.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.13 ₱71.0

58.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.03 ₱64.7

141.75%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.08 ₱131

87.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$5.18 ₱326

114.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.33 ₱210

98.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$7.85 ₱494

87.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.27 ₱143

-19.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.60 ₱101

28.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.35 ₱148

0.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.78 ₱112

119.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.72 ₱108

-42.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.73 ₱109

-42.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.66 ₱41.73

139.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.49 ₱31.10

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.14 ₱198

153.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$8.99 ₱566

-30.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.13 ₱71.4

12.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.98 ₱125

2.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.26 ₱16.16

484.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$10.94 ₱689

156.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.80 ₱50.2

313.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.23 ₱14.50

495.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$1.92 ₱121

932.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.22 ₱76.7

49.18%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.7K ₱1.4M

37.53%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$19.5K ₱1.2M

73.57%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$123 ₱7,715

39.66%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$15.62 ₱983

50.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$23.34 ₱1,469

-0.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$27.55 ₱1,735

145.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$5.07 ₱319

272.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.29 ₱333

75.80%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$134 ₱8,428

298.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$8,820 ₱555.3K

89.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$29.14 ₱1,834

241.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$19.72 ₱1,241

120.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$72.7 ₱4,574

51.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$54.8 ₱3,453

116.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$122 ₱7,660

582.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$99.7 ₱6,274

524.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$202 ₱12.7K

689.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$166 ₱10.4K

606.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,138 ₱134.6K

172.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,101 ₱69.3K

253.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$172 ₱10.8K

862.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.75

-4.44%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Imus: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Imus

$100 15.4% 84% $522

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Imus

$180 27.9% 30.1% $78

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Imus

$75 11.5% 66.6% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Imus

$161 24.9% 25.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Imus

$79 12.3% 52.6% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Imus

$38 5.9% 55.7% $48

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Imus

$14 2.2% 68.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $122 in Imus. 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 863% 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 $17.00 in Imus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $180 – making Imus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇭 Imus

🕒 Local time

20:39 8:39 PM

02:39 2:39 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

496,794

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Imus 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Imus

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 Imus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 150%, 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 $971 in Imus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 156% less in Imus. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $134 in Imus. 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 Imus, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Imus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Imus – 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 Imus. 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.