Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Mandaluyong

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaluyong: $841 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Mandaluyong
Learn more

Mandaluyong Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Mandaluyong

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $841 in Mandaluyong, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Mandaluyong $841

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,389 in Mandaluyong, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Mandaluyong $1,389

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,936 in Mandaluyong, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Mandaluyong $1,936

Budapest costs about 92% more than Mandaluyong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Mandaluyong is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$4.72 ₱297

195.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$16.62 ₱1,046

268.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$3.53 ₱223

188.67%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.18 ₱137

49.54%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.99 ₱62.1

116.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.49 ₱30.84

263.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.22 ₱76.7

204.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.41 ₱152

56.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.68 ₱105

-31.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.30 ₱81.6

37.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.03 ₱64.8

141.75%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.21 ₱139

76.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$5.18 ₱326

114.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.84 ₱305

36.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$6.82 ₱429

115.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.38 ₱213

-45.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.89 ₱119

8.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$3.09 ₱194

-23.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.85 ₱116

110.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.21 ₱139

-55.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.63 ₱166

-61.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.62 ₱39.08

154.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.49 ₱30.84

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.94 ₱185

170.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$8.95 ₱564

-30.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.95 ₱60.0

33.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.07 ₱130

-1.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.38 ₱23.73

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.72 ₱45.59

359.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.23 ₱14.47

495.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$1.95 ₱122

916.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.22 ₱76.5

49.18%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

41.54%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

75.07%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$138 ₱8,711

23.68%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$17.70 ₱1,114

32.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$24.54 ₱1,545

-5.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$31.59 ₱1,989

113.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.11 ₱385

52.21%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$131 ₱8,261

306.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$8,790 ₱553.4K

90.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$29.06 ₱1,830

242.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$27.11 ₱1,707

60.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$71.2 ₱4,481

55.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$54.9 ₱3,454

116.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$622 ₱39.1K

33.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$241 ₱15.1K

158.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,177 ₱74.1K

35.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$724 ₱45.6K

61.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,810 ₱176.9K

107.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$533 ₱33.6K

209.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.75

-4.44%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mandaluyong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Mandaluyong

$241 28.6% 61.3% $381

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Mandaluyong

$200 23.7% 22.6% $58

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Mandaluyong

$91 10.9% 59.1% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Mandaluyong

$181 21.5% 17.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Mandaluyong

$82 9.7% 51.1% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Mandaluyong

$44 5.2% 49.1% $42

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Mandaluyong

$3.4 * 0.4% 92.4% $41

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 $622 in Mandaluyong. 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 $17.00 in Mandaluyong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $200 – making Mandaluyong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

05:45 5:45 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

425,758

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 →

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Between locations

Budapest Mandaluyong 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 Mandaluyong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 92%, 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 $1,262 in Mandaluyong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $17.00 in Mandaluyong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mandaluyong, where all-in costs run around $841, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Mandaluyong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mandaluyong – 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 Mandaluyong. 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.