Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Marikina

For one person, living is cheaper in Marikina: $704 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Marikina

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $704 in Marikina, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Marikina $704

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,094 in Marikina, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Marikina $1,094

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,484 in Marikina, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Marikina $1,484

Budapest costs about 130% more than Marikina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Marikina is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$4.07 ₱257

242.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$32.37 ₱2,038

89.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$3.17 ₱199

221.45%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.29 ₱144

42.36%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.55 ₱34.81

289.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.33 ₱20.92

439.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.01 ₱63.7

267.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.36 ₱149

59.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.85 ₱117

-37.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.23 ₱77.7

45.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.06 ₱66.5

134.91%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.08 ₱131

87.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.39 ₱466

50.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.20 ₱264

57.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$6.78 ₱427

116.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.46 ₱155

-25.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.03 ₱128

0.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.33 ₱146

1.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.30 ₱145

69.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.38 ₱150

-58.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$3.48 ₱219

-71.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.10 ₱69.5

43.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.70 ₱44.21

-4.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.93 ₱184

171.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$8.73 ₱550

-28.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.98 ₱62.0

29.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.05 ₱129

-0.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.50 ₱31.34

204.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.73 ₱46.04

353.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.23 ₱14.53

495.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$1.94 ₱122

922.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.24 ₱78.3

46.77%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.7K ₱1.4M

37.45%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

74.00%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$139 ₱8,744

23.21%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$16.19 ₱1,019

45.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$28.10 ₱1,769

-17.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$36.73 ₱2,312

83.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.11 ₱448

30.80%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$131 ₱8,250

306.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$7,456 ₱469.4K

124.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$59.9 ₱3,774

66.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$28.37 ₱1,786

53.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$75.4 ₱4,745

46.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$54.7 ₱3,442

117.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$180 ₱11.3K

361.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$79.2 ₱4,986

685.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$322 ₱20.3K

394.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$145 ₱9,110

708.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,134 ₱71.4K

414.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$481 ₱30.3K

709.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$387 ₱24.3K

327.07%

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 Marikina: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Marikina

$79 11.3% 87.3% $543

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Marikina

$206 29.2% 20.3% $52

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Marikina

$83 11.8% 62.8% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Marikina

$183 26% 15.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Marikina

$98 14% 41.4% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Marikina

$51 7.2% 40.8% $35

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Marikina

$3.9 * 0.6% 91.2% $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 $180 in Marikina. 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 327% 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 $32.00 in Marikina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $206 – making Marikina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇭 Marikina

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

456,059

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Marikina 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Marikina

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 Marikina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 130%, 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 $1,056 in Marikina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Marikina, 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 $32.00 in Marikina. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% 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 Marikina, where all-in costs run around $704, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Marikina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Marikina – 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 Marikina. 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.