Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Makati

For one person, living is cheaper in Makati: $1,257 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Makati
Learn more

Makati Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Makati

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,257 in Makati, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Makati $1,257

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,052 in Makati, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Makati $2,052

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,847 in Makati, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Makati $2,847

Budapest costs about 29% more than Makati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Makati is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$6.56 ₱411

113.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$40.13 ₱2,517

50.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$4.75 ₱298

109.68%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.65 ₱166

27.55%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$1.08 ₱67.6

97.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.50 ₱31.47

274.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.44 ₱153

53.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.10 ₱195

15.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.83 ₱115

-38.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.24 ₱77.7

48.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.01 ₱63.5

136.63%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.37 ₱148

61.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$7.35 ₱461

54.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$4.91 ₱308

37.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$6.81 ₱427

115.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$4.09 ₱257

-55.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$2.00 ₱125

0.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$3.27 ₱205

-27.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$2.29 ₱144

64.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$3.59 ₱225

-73.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$3.45 ₱216

-70.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.07 ₱67.0

45.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.11 ₱69.7

-40.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$2.66 ₱167

199.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$8.01 ₱502

-24.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.35 ₱84.5

-3.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$1.98 ₱124

5.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.99 ₱61.9

51.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$57.4 ₱3,599

-51.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$0.66 ₱41.39

400.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.23 ₱14.46

465.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$1.88 ₱118

952.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.26 ₱79.0

43.65%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$21.5K ₱1.3M

36.59%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$19.8K ₱1.2M

72.22%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$155 ₱9,726

9.59%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$15.90 ₱997

50.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$32.67 ₱2,049

-28.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$55.4 ₱3,473

19.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$14.51 ₱910

32.18%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$6.98 ₱438

36.39%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$783 ₱49.1K

-31.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$7,340 ₱460.4K

126.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$59.6 ₱3,738

70.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$37.48 ₱2,351

14.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$82.5 ₱5,171

36.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$102 ₱6,383

16.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$828 ₱51.9K

-2.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$416 ₱26.1K

51.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$2,318 ₱145.4K

-33.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$1,067 ₱66.9K

9.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$6,082 ₱381.5K

-7.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$3,765 ₱236.1K

5.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$616 ₱38.6K

164.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

7.5

-14.27%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Makati: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Makati

$416 33.8% 33.8% $213

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Makati

$230 18.7% 10.6% $27

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Makati

$123 10% 45.1% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Makati

$204 16.5% 6.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Makati

$127 10.3% 25.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Makati

$69 5.6% 18.7% $16

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Makati

$63 5.1% 45.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $828 in Makati. 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 164% 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 $40.00 in Makati. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $230 – making Makati the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇭 Makati

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

09:53 9:53 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

582,602

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Makati 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Makati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 29%, 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 $1,885 in Makati. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 108% less in Makati. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $783 in Makati. 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 Makati, where all-in costs run around $1,257, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Makati it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Makati – 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 Makati. 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.