Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Lima

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $996 in Lima, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Lima $996

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,594 in Lima, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Lima $1,594

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,191 in Lima, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Lima $2,191

Budapest costs about 63% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Lima is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$4.42 PEN 15.21

216.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$35.04 PEN 121

72.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$6.84 PEN 23.52

45.61%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$3.27 PEN 11.26

3.36%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$1.10 PEN 3.80

93.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.65 PEN 2.23

187.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$2.58 PEN 8.88

45.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$4.47 PEN 15.39

-20.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-28.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$2.58 PEN 8.89

-28.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.36 PEN 4.67

75.74%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$2.95 PEN 10.14

29.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$9.10 PEN 31.30

24.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$5.81 PEN 19.98

16.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$9.83 PEN 33.80

49.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$2.01 PEN 6.92

-8.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.08 PEN 3.70

86.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.37 PEN 4.71

72.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$1.48 PEN 5.08

154.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$0.96 PEN 3.32

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$0.85 PEN 2.93

21.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.88 PEN 3.03

77.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.87 PEN 2.98

-24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$5.90 PEN 20.31

34.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$8.81 PEN 30.31

-31.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.92 PEN 6.59

-32.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$3.20 PEN 11.02

-35.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.68 PEN 2.33

120.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$26.74 PEN 92.0

3.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-13.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-36.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$7.14 PEN 24.57

177.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.65 PEN 5.67

9.70%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

32.25%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

32.89%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$73.0 PEN 251

132.67%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$16.26 PEN 55.9

47.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$27.60 PEN 94.9

-15.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$33.07 PEN 114

100.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$19.49 PEN 67.1

-1.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$7.39 PEN 25.41

28.82%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$182 PEN 626

194.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

24.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$52.6 PEN 181

92.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$34.23 PEN 118

25.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$83.8 PEN 288

34.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$79.0 PEN 272

50.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$723 PEN 2,488

11.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$340 PEN 1,170

85.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$1,184 PEN 4,074

30.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$635 PEN 2,183

83.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,449 PEN 8,423

129.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,372 PEN 4,718

189.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$653 PEN 2,245

149.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

8.94

-28.08%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Lima

$340 33.6% 45.9% $289

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Lima

$226 22.4% 12.1% $31

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Lima

$124 12.3% 44.7% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Lima

$117 11.6% 46.2% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Lima

$112 11.1% 33.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Lima

$48 4.7% 43.9% $37

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Lima

$43 4.3% 0.1% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $723 in Lima. 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 149% 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 $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

23:51 11:51 PM

7 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Lima 11,450 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 63%, 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 $1,494 in Lima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 3% less in Lima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $182 in Lima. 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 Lima, where all-in costs run around $996, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lima – 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 Lima. 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.