Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Laoag City

For one person, living is cheaper in Laoag City: $743 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Laoag City
Learn more

Laoag City Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Laoag City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$743

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Laoag 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 Laoag City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $743 in Laoag City, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Laoag City $743

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,112 in Laoag City, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Laoag City $1,112

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,480 in Laoag City, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Laoag City $1,480

Budapest costs about 118% more than Laoag City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Laoag City is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.41 ₱215

308.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$16.52 ₱1,041

270.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$2.94 ₱185

246.60%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.54 ₱160

28.35%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.67 ₱42.13

219.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.33 ₱20.53

439.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.00 ₱63.3

271.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.85 ₱117

103.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.63 ₱103

-29.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.17 ₱73.8

52.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.92 ₱58.1

170.65%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.95 ₱123

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$5.25 ₱331

111.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.30 ₱271

53.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$7.24 ₱456

102.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.42 ₱152

-24.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.63 ₱103

25.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.44 ₱154

-2.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.19 ₱74.7

227.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.94 ₱122

-48.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.88 ₱119

-46.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.01 ₱63.4

56.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.54 ₱33.75

24.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.89 ₱182

175.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.37 ₱464

-15.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.94 ₱59.5

35.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.94 ₱122

4.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.26 ₱16.39

484.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$11.99 ₱756

133.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.73 ₱45.78

353.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.24 ₱15.15

470.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$2.19 ₱138

805.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.03 ₱64.6

76.70%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

37.67%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

77.69%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$136 ₱8,546

26.13%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$14.48 ₱912

62.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$24.79 ₱1,562

-6.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$32.51 ₱2,048

107.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$5.10 ₱321

270.39%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.03 ₱317

84.89%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$133 ₱8,389

300.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$8,190 ₱515.9K

104.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$33.49 ₱2,109

197.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$19.72 ₱1,242

120.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$71.2 ₱4,484

55.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$55.3 ₱3,485

115.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$270 ₱17.0K

208.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$171 ₱10.8K

263.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$513 ₱32.3K

210.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$330 ₱20.8K

255.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,434 ₱153.3K

139.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,087 ₱68.4K

257.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$162 ₱10.2K

920.22%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Laoag City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Laoag City

$171 23% 72.5% $451

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Laoag City

$179 24.2% 30.4% $78

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Laoag City

$79 10.7% 64.4% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Laoag City

$175 23.5% 19.7% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Laoag City

$81 10.9% 51.7% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Laoag City

$43 5.7% 50.6% $44

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Laoag City

$15 2% 66.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $270 in Laoag 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 920% 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 Laoag City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $179 – making Laoag City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇭 Laoag City

🕒 Local time

22:01 10:01 PM

04:01 4:01 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

112,117

💱 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 = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Laoag City 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Laoag 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 Laoag City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 118%, 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 $1,115 in Laoag City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Laoag 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 134% less in Laoag City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $133 in Laoag 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 Laoag City, where all-in costs run around $743, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Laoag City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Laoag 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 Laoag 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.