Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Mexico City

For one person, living costs are similar in Budapest and in Mexico City: $1,638 and $1,608 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Mexico City

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Mexico City $3,490

Budapest costs about 2% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Mexico City sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,548

$10.62 MX$199

30.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

$48.35 MX$904

27.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,345

$10.35 MX$193

-1.84%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,061

$3.69 MX$69.0

-12.74%

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

$2.06 Ft 679

$1.67 MX$31.14

23.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 604

$1.27 MX$23.65

44.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,187

$3.19 MX$59.7

12.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,207

$5.31 MX$99.2

-31.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.72 MX$32.23

-30.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 616

$3.04 MX$56.8

-38.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 779

$1.94 MX$36.27

22.16%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,304

$2.89 MX$54.0

37.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,677

$10.97 MX$205

1.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,226

$9.25 MX$173

-26.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,727

$15.13 MX$283

-5.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 595

$3.05 MX$57.0

-40.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$1.94 MX$36.27

8.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 769

$2.03 MX$37.85

14.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,253

$2.31 MX$43.25

64.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$2.04 MX$38.03

-51.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$1.80 MX$33.63

-45.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 511

$1.48 MX$27.64

4.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 229

$1.27 MX$23.69

-44.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,567

$5.30 MX$99.1

46.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,993

$16.10 MX$301

-62.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$1.98 MX$37.06

-35.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 671

$4.25 MX$79.5

-52.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$0.31 MX$5.70

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,987

$19.73 MX$369

38.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,086

$1.84 MX$34.34

79.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$0.53 MX$9.97

147.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,673

$5.30 MX$99.0

282.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 599

$1.51 MX$28.23

20.53%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$21.8K MX$406.5K

32.03%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$24.0K MX$448.2K

37.91%

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

$172 Ft 56.7K

$63.0 MX$1,177

173.39%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,890

$27.39 MX$512

-12.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,679

$35.67 MX$666

-34.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$58.9 MX$1,101

16.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,229

$23.64 MX$442

-20.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,353

$6.40 MX$120

59.06%

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

$600 Ft 197.8K

$432 MX$8,065

39.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$11.4K MX$213.5K

46.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$68.2 MX$1,275

45.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

$53.1 MX$993

-18.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$108 MX$2,014

4.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$117 MX$2,191

-0.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.4K

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-24.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.7K

$710 MX$13.3K

-9.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

$2,588 MX$48.4K

-38.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-14.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$3,631 MX$67.8K

54.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$2,135 MX$39.9K

78.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

$946 MX$17.7K

76.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

11.35

-43.17%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 11% $71

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 23.7% $61

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 9.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 42.6% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 19.3% $17

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 41.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $1,113 in Mexico City. 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 77% higher in Budapest. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $48 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $320 in Mexico City – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

12:04 12:04 PM

7 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Mexico City 10,360 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $2,412 in Mexico City. 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 $1,113 in Mexico City.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $600 per month in Budapest and $432 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,638 in Budapest and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mexico City costs $1,608 versus $1,638 in Budapest. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. 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.