Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Malaybalay

For one person, living is cheaper in Malaybalay: $756 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Malaybalay
Learn more

Malaybalay Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Malaybalay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Malaybalay

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $756 in Malaybalay, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Malaybalay $756

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,182 in Malaybalay, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Malaybalay $1,182

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,607 in Malaybalay, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Malaybalay $1,607

Budapest costs about 114% more than Malaybalay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Malaybalay is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$4.89 ₱308

185.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$16.45 ₱1,035

272.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$3.51 ₱221

190.31%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.18 ₱137

49.54%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.49 ₱31.14

336.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.33 ₱20.93

439.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.13 ₱71.2

228.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.92 ₱121

96.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.02 ₱127

-43.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.13 ₱71.2

58.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.88 ₱55.2

182.95%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.87 ₱118

108.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$6.41 ₱404

73.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.87 ₱307

35.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.06 ₱570

62.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.77 ₱175

-33.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.07 ₱67.2

91.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.39 ₱150

-0.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.14 ₱71.8

242.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.96 ₱123

-49.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$3.39 ₱213

-70.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.20 ₱75.3

31.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.66 ₱41.82

1.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.47 ₱156

222.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.77 ₱489

-19.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.27 ₱80.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.62 ₱102

25.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.22 ₱13.60

590.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$10.70 ₱674

161.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.84 ₱52.9

294.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.23 ₱14.40

495.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$1.90 ₱119

943.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.27 ₱80.2

43.31%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

38.05%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

78.16%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$109 ₱6,856

57.13%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$19.33 ₱1,217

21.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$31.17 ₱1,962

-25.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$30.01 ₱1,890

125.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$4.18 ₱263

351.91%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.86 ₱306

91.36%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$106 ₱6,689

401.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$7,589 ₱477.8K

120.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$33.02 ₱2,079

201.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$19.31 ₱1,216

125.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$70.7 ₱4,451

56.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$60.7 ₱3,821

96.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$279 ₱17.5K

197.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$173 ₱10.9K

260.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$441 ₱27.8K

261.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$403 ₱25.4K

190.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,200 ₱138.5K

165.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,006 ₱63.4K

286.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.31

-22.38%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Malaybalay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Malaybalay

$173 22.8% 72.2% $449

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Malaybalay

$199 26.4% 22.7% $59

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Malaybalay

$89 11.7% 60.3% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Malaybalay

$159 21.1% 26.9% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Malaybalay

$83 10.9% 50.7% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Malaybalay

$40 5.3% 53.9% $46

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Malaybalay

$14 1.8% 69.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $279 in Malaybalay. 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 $16.00 in Malaybalay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $199 – making Malaybalay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇭 Malaybalay

🕒 Local time

21:12 9:12 PM

03:12 3:12 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

190,712

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Malaybalay 10,520 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Malaybalay

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 Malaybalay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 114%, 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 $1,134 in Malaybalay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 162% less in Malaybalay. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $106 in Malaybalay. 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 Malaybalay, where all-in costs run around $756, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Malaybalay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Malaybalay – 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 Malaybalay. 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.