Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Maracay

For one person, living is cheaper in Maracay: $729 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Maracay
Learn more

Maracay Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Maracay

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Maracay

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $729 in Maracay, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Maracay $729

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,242 in Maracay, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Maracay $1,242

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,755 in Maracay, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Maracay $1,755

Budapest costs about 122% more than Maracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Maracay is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,570

$4.85 VES 4,245

188.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$33.14 VES 29.0K

82.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,255

$7.63 VES 6,669

30.54%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,105

$1.68 VES 1,472

101.19%

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

$2.13 Ft 696

$1.17 VES 1,023

82.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 611

$1.20 VES 1,054

55.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,226

$1.23 VES 1,075

204.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,167

$3.02 VES 2,641

18.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 370

$2.68 VES 2,346

-57.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 602

$2.29 VES 2,006

-19.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 780

$1.03 VES 900

132.04%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,250

$2.62 VES 2,294

46.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,702

$6.53 VES 5,709

73.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,201

$5.74 VES 5,016

17.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,800

$8.54 VES 7,467

72.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 600

$4.28 VES 3,739

-57.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 656

$1.97 VES 1,722

2.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 770

$2.22 VES 1,937

6.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,232

$2.37 VES 2,069

59.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 315

$2.32 VES 2,027

-58.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 336

$2.20 VES 1,921

-53.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 511

$1.58 VES 1,386

-1.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 217

$2.30 VES 2,013

-71.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,602

$2.48 VES 2,173

220.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,963

$10.15 VES 8,877

-40.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 423

$1.16 VES 1,018

12.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 679

$1.70 VES 1,487

22.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 491

$0.48 VES 419

212.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 9,021

$19.78 VES 17.3K

39.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,079

$2.94 VES 2,575

12.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 426

$2.71 VES 2,368

-52.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,465

$10.01 VES 8,759

97.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 593

$0.69 VES 603

162.32%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$25.2K VES 22.0M

16.50%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$38.5K VES 33.7M

-11.50%

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

$170 Ft 55.5K

$12.43 VES 10.9K

1267.18%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,836

$11.57 VES 10.1K

107.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,654

$38.31 VES 33.5K

-38.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$29.71 VES 26.0K

122.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,266

$14.89 VES 13.0K

28.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,112

$4.08 VES 3,569

133.33%

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

$537 Ft 175.4K

$74.6 VES 65.2K

619.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$5,979 VES 5.2M

177.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.1K

$52.4 VES 45.8K

93.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$37.16 VES 32.5K

15.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.8K

$83.0 VES 72.6K

35.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.8K

$93.6 VES 81.8K

26.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 263.1K

$228 VES 199.5K

252.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 205.6K

$108 VES 94.7K

480.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 506.3K

$569 VES 497.5K

172.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 381.4K

$278 VES 243.0K

320.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$448 VES 391.8K

1154.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$198 VES 172.8K

1908.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 531.3K

$210 VES 183.3K

675.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

21.5

-70.09%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Maracay: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Maracay

$108 14.7% 82.8% $521

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Maracay

$267 36.2% 3.6% $9.3

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Maracay

$104 14.1% 53.8% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Maracay

$62 8.5% 71.3% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Maracay

$120 16.3% 29.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Maracay

$38 5.1% 55.6% $47

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Maracay

$38 5.2% 12.1% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $228 in Maracay. 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 676% 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 $33.00 in Maracay. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $267 in Maracay – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇻🇪 Maracay

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

22:34 10:34 PM

6 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

425,606

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 875 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 980 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Maracay 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 Maracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 122%, 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 $1,093 in Maracay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 40% less in Maracay. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $74.6 in Maracay. 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 Maracay, where all-in costs run around $729, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Maracay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Maracay – 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 Maracay. 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.