Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Mazatlan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazatlan: $1,436 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Mazatlan
Learn more

Mazatlan Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Mazatlan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Mazatlan

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,436 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Mazatlan $1,436

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,041 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Mazatlan $2,041

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,645 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Mazatlan $2,645

Budapest costs about 13% more than Mazatlan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Mazatlan sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Mazatlan by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$10.96 MX$199

27.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$46.29 MX$842

30.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$8.37 MX$152

19.00%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$3.40 MX$61.8

-0.59%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$1.45 MX$26.29

46.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$1.10 MX$19.94

70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$2.13 MX$38.67

76.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$2.83 MX$51.5

26.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.64 MX$29.86

-31.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$2.59 MX$47.05

-28.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.33 MX$24.22

79.70%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$2.74 MX$49.92

39.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$8.06 MX$147

40.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$6.94 MX$126

-2.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$7.67 MX$140

91.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$2.72 MX$49.43

-32.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.70 MX$30.88

18.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.62 MX$29.51

45.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$0.52 MX$9.43

625.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$1.63 MX$29.72

-41.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$1.37 MX$24.89

-24.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.60 MX$29.17

-2.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$4.20 MX$76.4

89.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$15.98 MX$291

-62.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$2.03 MX$36.89

-35.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$3.09 MX$56.2

-32.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.69 MX$12.60

117.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$41.84 MX$761

-34.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$3.71 MX$67.4

-11.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$2.45 MX$44.58

-46.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.53 MX$27.91

18.30%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$21.4K MX$389.3K

37.01%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$24.8K MX$450.8K

37.62%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$59.0 MX$1,074

187.84%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$46.93 MX$854

-48.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$43.53 MX$792

-46.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$45.05 MX$819

47.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$4.39 MX$79.9

116.86%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$88.4 MX$1,609

506.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$2,007 MX$36.5K

727.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$63.9 MX$1,162

58.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$27.58 MX$502

55.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$112 MX$2,036

0.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$84.1 MX$1,530

41.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$788 MX$14.3K

2.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$619 MX$11.3K

1.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$1,241 MX$22.6K

24.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$840 MX$15.3K

38.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,579 MX$28.7K

255.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,051 MX$19.1K

277.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$533 MX$9,694

205.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

11.6

-44.57%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mazatlan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Mazatlan

$619 43.4% 1.6% $10

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Mazatlan

$236 * 16.5% 8.5% $22

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Mazatlan

$180 12.6% 19.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Mazatlan

$150 10.5% 31.2% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Mazatlan

$129 9.1% 23.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Mazatlan

$54 3.8% 36.9% $31

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Mazatlan

$61 4.2% 39.5% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $788 in Mazatlan. 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 205% 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 $46.00 in Mazatlan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $236 – making Mazatlan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇽 Mazatlan

🕒 Local time

09:09 9:09 AM

00:09 12:09 AM

9 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

441,975

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Mazatlan 10,450 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Mazatlan

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 Mazatlan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 13%, 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 $2,155 in Mazatlan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 52% less in Mazatlan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $88.4 in Mazatlan. 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 Mazatlan, where all-in costs run around $1,436, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Mazatlan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mazatlan – 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 Mazatlan. 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.