Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Los Ángeles

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Ángeles: $925 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Los Ángeles
Learn more

Los Ángeles Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Los Ángeles

🇨🇱 Chile

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Los Ángeles

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $925 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Los Ángeles $925

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,378 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Los Ángeles $1,378

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,831 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Los Ángeles $1,831

Budapest costs about 75% more than Los Ángeles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Los Ángeles is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,523

$12.46 CLP 12.3K

11.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$25.23 CLP 24.8K

142.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,306

$10.17 CLP 10,000

0.20%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,059

$2.03 CLP 1,992

60.59%

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

$2.14 Ft 694

$1.50 CLP 1,471

42.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$1.57 CLP 1,539

13.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$2.47 CLP 2,433

50.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$3.04 CLP 2,992

24.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.21 CLP 1,187

-4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$2.80 CLP 2,751

-36.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 807

$2.98 CLP 2,934

-16.44%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$4.33 CLP 4,262

-9.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,604

$8.05 CLP 7,914

37.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$10.69 CLP 10.5K

-38.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,767

$14.17 CLP 13.9K

3.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$2.63 CLP 2,582

-30.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.61 CLP 1,579

27.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$2.71 CLP 2,669

-12.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$2.28 CLP 2,244

71.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$1.51 CLP 1,480

-34.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$1.59 CLP 1,568

-37.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$1.44 CLP 1,413

9.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$1.10 CLP 1,081

-39.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,584

$5.67 CLP 5,576

40.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,018

$4.27 CLP 4,196

45.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$0.99 CLP 976

28.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$0.50 CLP 487

204.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,095

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$2.06 CLP 2,029

60.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.26 CLP 1,243

44.44%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

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

$171 Ft 55.5K

$123 CLP 120.6K

39.46%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,631

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,560

$20.82 CLP 20.5K

11.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$80.7 CLP 79.3K

-16.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,133

$10.27 CLP 10.1K

83.93%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,018

$4.42 CLP 4,347

110.41%

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

$533 Ft 173.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$274 CLP 269.1K

203.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

$228 CLP 223.8K

173.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.2K

$442 CLP 434.6K

260.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.9K

$337 CLP 331.0K

247.61%

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 535.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Los Ángeles: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Los Ángeles

$228 24.6% 63.4% $394

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Los Ángeles

$275 * 29.7% 6.5% $17

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Los Ángeles

$185 20% 16.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Los Ángeles

$144 * 15.5% 34.1% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Los Ángeles

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Los Ángeles

$90 9.7% 4% $3.4

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Los Ángeles

$4 * 0.4% 90.9% $40

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 $274 in Los Ángeles. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $25.00 in Los Ángeles. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $275 in Los Ángeles – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇱 Los Ángeles

🕒 Local time

07:47 7:47 AM

02:47 2:47 AM

5 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

143,023

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.17 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.08 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 983 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,101 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Los Ángeles 13,060 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Los Ángeles

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 Los Ángeles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 75%, 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 $1,387 in Los Ángeles. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $25.00 in Los Ángeles. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Los Ángeles, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Los Ángeles it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Los Ángeles – 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 Los Ángeles. 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.