Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Leon

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $1,223 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Leon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Leon

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,223 in Leon, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Leon $1,223

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,985 in Leon, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Leon $1,985

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,747 in Leon, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Leon $2,747

Budapest costs about 32% more than Leon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Leon is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$11.17 MX$206

24.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$55.2 MX$1,020

10.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$8.80 MX$163

15.80%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.03 MX$74.5

-19.11%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.56 MX$28.84

37.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.25 MX$23.04

42.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.07 MX$56.8

20.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.93 MX$72.6

-4.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.71 MX$31.67

-32.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$2.68 MX$49.51

-33.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.80 MX$33.31

38.33%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.27 MX$60.4

19.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.21 MX$133

53.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.58 MX$140

-12.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.81 MX$200

35.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.49 MX$46.03

-26.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.38 MX$25.59

48.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.83 MX$33.76

29.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.54 MX$28.42

153.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.99 MX$36.75

-50.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.09 MX$38.60

-52.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.38 MX$25.56

14.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.70 MX$12.89

-4.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.97 MX$129

14.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$13.63 MX$252

-54.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.37 MX$43.71

-46.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.61 MX$66.7

-43.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.75 MX$13.93

102.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$35.67 MX$659

-21.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.77 MX$51.1

19.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.72 MX$50.2

-49.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$14.96 MX$276

32.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.46 MX$26.97

24.66%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.2K MX$392.0K

40.46%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.2K MX$446.3K

39.99%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$21.60 MX$399

692.22%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$40.70 MX$752

-42.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$58.3 MX$1,077

-60.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$60.7 MX$1,121

11.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$34.51 MX$638

-45.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.47 MX$120

43.74%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$183 MX$3,386

191.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$3,826 MX$70.7K

337.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$56.8 MX$1,049

75.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$66.0 MX$1,219

-34.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$101 MX$1,868

9.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$115 MX$2,122

3.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$524 MX$9,681

58.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$360 MX$6,653

72.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$761 MX$14.1K

109.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$683 MX$12.6K

71.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$532 MX$9,839

210.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

11.6

-44.40%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Leon: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Leon

$360 29.5% 42.1% $262

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Leon

$262 21.5% 1.7% $4.3

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Leon

$199 16.3% 10.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Leon

$121 9.9% 44.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Leon

$152 12.5% 9.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Leon

$74 6% 14.5% $13

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Leon

$55 4.5% 24.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $524 in Leon. 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 210% 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 $55.0 in Leon. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $262 in Leon – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇽 Leon

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

22:08 10:08 PM

8 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,579,803

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Leon 10,370 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Leon

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 Leon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,834 in Leon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 27% less in Leon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $183 in Leon. 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 Leon, where all-in costs run around $1,223, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Leon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Leon – 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 Leon. 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.