Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Iquique

For one person, living is cheaper in Iquique: $999 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Iquique
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Iquique Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Iquique

🇨🇱 Chile

$999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Iquique

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $999 in Iquique, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Iquique $999

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,590 in Iquique, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Iquique $1,590

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,180 in Iquique, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Iquique $2,180

Budapest costs about 62% more than Iquique, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Iquique is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$7.48 CLP 7,359

86.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$40.30 CLP 39.7K

51.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.04 CLP 6,934

44.74%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.44 CLP 3,384

-5.23%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.23 CLP 1,210

73.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.95 CLP 937

87.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.27 CLP 3,222

13.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.61 CLP 3,552

4.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.09 CLP 1,077

5.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.13 CLP 1,111

58.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.31 CLP 1,285

90.08%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.02 CLP 2,972

29.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.12 CLP 9,962

9.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$10.05 CLP 9,896

-34.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.31 CLP 2,273

-20.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.15 CLP 2,121

-4.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.51 CLP 1,484

56.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.06 CLP 1,040

267.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.73 CLP 722

35.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.64 CLP 628

56.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.00 CLP 981

58.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.35 CLP 1,326

-50.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$7.25 CLP 7,139

9.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.86 CLP 7,734

-20.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$0.84 CLP 828

141.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.69 CLP 679

120.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.44 CLP 1,419

26.39%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$88.6 CLP 87.2K

93.07%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$15.63 CLP 15.4K

50.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$23.17 CLP 22.8K

0.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$50.7 CLP 49.9K

33.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.91 CLP 6,803

34.59%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$254 CLP 249.8K

110.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$30.11 CLP 29.6K

230.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$23.04 CLP 22.7K

88.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$46.57 CLP 45.8K

136.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$58.3 CLP 57.4K

104.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$422 CLP 415.4K

96.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$382 CLP 375.7K

62.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$683 CLP 671.9K

133.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$781 CLP 769.3K

49.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,718 CLP 1.7M

239.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,926 CLP 1.9M

101.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$958 CLP 943.5K

72.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

7.5

-14.00%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Iquique: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Iquique

$382 38.2% 38.6% $240

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Iquique

$197 * 19.7% 23.6% $61

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Iquique

$155 15.5% 30.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Iquique

$127 12.8% 41.5% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Iquique

$71 7.1% 57.6% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Iquique

$65 6.5% 25.1% $22

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Iquique

$2.8 * 0.3% 93.8% $41

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 $422 in Iquique. 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 72% 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 $40.00 in Iquique. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $197 – making Iquique the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇱 Iquique

🕒 Local time

16:39 4:39 PM

11:39 11:39 AM

5 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

188,003

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Iquique 11,590 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Iquique

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 Iquique: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,498 in Iquique. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iquique, 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 $40.00 in Iquique. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Iquique, where all-in costs run around $999, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Iquique it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iquique – 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 Iquique. 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.