Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Matamoros

For one person, living is cheaper in Matamoros: $1,090 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
Learn more

Matamoros Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,090

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Matamoros

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,090 in Matamoros, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Matamoros $1,090

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,832 in Matamoros, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Matamoros $1,832

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,573 in Matamoros, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Matamoros $2,573

Budapest costs about 48% more than Matamoros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Matamoros is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$12.38 MX$229

12.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$37.67 MX$696

62.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$9.06 MX$167

12.47%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.29 MX$60.8

-0.91%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.47 MX$27.18

45.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.05 MX$19.40

69.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.26 MX$41.81

64.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.48 MX$82.8

-15.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.63 MX$30.12

-29.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$2.40 MX$44.43

-25.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.70 MX$31.43

46.47%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.57 MX$47.54

51.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.01 MX$167

23.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.82 MX$144

-15.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.74 MX$217

25.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.70 MX$49.81

-32.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.73 MX$31.92

18.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.67 MX$30.82

41.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.05 MX$37.92

90.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.17 MX$40.01

-54.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.09 MX$38.70

-52.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.61 MX$29.73

-1.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.22 MX$22.48

-45.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.72 MX$87.2

68.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$10.79 MX$199

-42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.02 MX$37.32

-37.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.18 MX$58.8

-36.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.65 MX$12.03

133.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.71 MX$50.0

22.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.25 MX$41.49

-39.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$11.47 MX$212

72.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.34 MX$24.72

35.82%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$23.5K MX$435.0K

26.59%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$23.9K MX$441.3K

41.57%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$56.2 MX$1,038

204.76%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$25.44 MX$470

-7.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$26.61 MX$492

-12.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$32.88 MX$608

105.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$22.40 MX$414

-15.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.48 MX$82.7

107.59%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$223 MX$4,114

139.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,650 MX$85.9K

260.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$53.3 MX$986

86.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$38.50 MX$711

12.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$99.1 MX$1,832

11.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$79.4 MX$1,467

49.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$646 MX$11.9K

28.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$337 MX$6,220

84.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$901 MX$16.7K

76.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$826 MX$15.3K

41.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,039 MX$37.7K

186.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,054 MX$19.5K

268.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

11.3

-42.92%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Matamoros: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Matamoros

$337 30.9% 45.9% $285

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Matamoros

$269 24.7% 4.4% $11

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Matamoros

$196 18% 12.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Matamoros

$108 9.9% 50.3% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Matamoros

$122 11.2% 27.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Matamoros

$42 3.8% 51.4% $44

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Matamoros

$17 * 1.5% 62.6% $28

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 $646 in Matamoros. 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 $38.00 in Matamoros. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $269 in Matamoros – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

23:16 11:16 PM

7 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

510,739

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Matamoros 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Matamoros

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 Matamoros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,635 in Matamoros. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matamoros, 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 $38.00 in Matamoros. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Matamoros, where all-in costs run around $1,090, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Matamoros it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Matamoros – 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 Matamoros. 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.