Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in Budapest and in Medellin: $1,638 and $1,639 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Medellin

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Medellin $3,186

Budapest and Medellin have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Budapest and Medellin sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,520

$8.09 COP 26.1K

70.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.1K

$47.05 COP 151.9K

30.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,325

$9.50 COP 30.7K

6.95%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,054

$3.01 COP 9,735

6.98%

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

$2.06 Ft 675

$1.80 COP 5,809

14.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 601

$1.41 COP 4,561

29.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,180

$3.18 COP 10.3K

13.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,199

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-36.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 390

$1.51 COP 4,876

-21.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 612

$2.38 COP 7,678

-21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 775

$1.77 COP 5,720

33.90%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,296

$2.89 COP 9,333

37.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,655

$10.19 COP 32.9K

9.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,212

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-31.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,698

$13.99 COP 45.2K

2.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 592

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-54.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 690

$1.55 COP 5,012

36.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 764

$2.18 COP 7,048

6.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,245

$2.18 COP 7,051

74.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 325

$1.96 COP 6,337

-49.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 322

$1.59 COP 5,132

-38.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 508

$1.15 COP 3,699

34.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 228

$1.24 COP 4,014

-43.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,551

$3.96 COP 12.8K

96.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,981

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-55.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 418

$1.66 COP 5,359

-22.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 667

$2.26 COP 7,291

-9.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 507

$1.17 COP 3,771

32.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,932

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-64.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,080

$1.27 COP 4,094

159.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 430

$2.05 COP 6,612

-36.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,631

$8.55 COP 27.6K

136.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 596

$1.35 COP 4,349

34.81%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.4M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-15.69%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.8M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-4.59%

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

$172 Ft 56.4K

$170 COP 547.8K

1.49%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,841

$13.55 COP 43.8K

76.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,631

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-16.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.5K

$43.70 COP 141.1K

56.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,191

$17.19 COP 55.5K

10.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,332

$6.91 COP 22.3K

47.32%

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

$600 Ft 196.5K

$797 COP 2.6M

-24.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

84.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.4K

$84.7 COP 273.5K

16.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-25.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.9K

$135 COP 435.8K

-16.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.4K

$97.9 COP 316.0K

19.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 273.7K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-30.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 209.4K

$642 COP 2.1M

-0.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 523.2K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-21.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 394.5K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

19.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.8M

$4,170 COP 13.5M

34.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.2M

$1,910 COP 6.2M

99.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 547.2K

$657 COP 2.1M

154.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

10.94

-41.04%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 0.3% $1.8

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 14.9% $39

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 23.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 3.7% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 0.9% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 35.3% $31

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 116% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Budapest are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $297 in Medellin – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:18 10:18 AM

04:18 4:18 AM

6 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Medellin 9,840 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budapest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $836 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,638 in Budapest and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.