Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Montevideo

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Montevideo $3,750

Budapest is about 11% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Montevideo sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$15.26 UYU 613

-8.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-10.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$14.37 UYU 578

-30.69%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$4.64 UYU 187

-27.16%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$2.73 UYU 110

-21.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-10.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$4.75 UYU 191

-21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.67 UYU 147

-2.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-18.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$2.77 UYU 112

-33.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.69 UYU 67.8

41.42%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$4.52 UYU 182

-15.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$14.17 UYU 570

-20.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$12.07 UYU 485

-44.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$12.16 UYU 489

20.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$2.87 UYU 116

-35.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$2.75 UYU 110

-26.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.73 UYU 69.5

36.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$3.24 UYU 130

16.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-53.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-50.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.38 UYU 55.4

13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-64.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$5.57 UYU 224

42.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$8.89 UYU 357

-32.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-43.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.70 UYU 109

-22.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$1.52 UYU 61.3

-1.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-62.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$1.82 UYU 73.4

81.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.40 UYU 16.05

225.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$10.66 UYU 429

85.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-18.47%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

9.65%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-7.17%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$191 UYU 7,674

-10.95%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$20.40 UYU 820

17.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$44.14 UYU 1,775

-46.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$54.1 UYU 2,177

22.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$19.68 UYU 791

-2.54%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$12.33 UYU 496

-22.79%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$613 UYU 24.7K

-12.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

50.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$103 UYU 4,134

-1.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-23.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$124 UYU 5,000

-9.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$130 UYU 5,214

-8.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$705 UYU 28.4K

14.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$575 UYU 23.1K

9.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

36.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

14.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

67.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

104.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

32.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

5.74

12.02%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 8.6% $54

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 29% $75

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 20.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 17.5% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 9.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 7.6% $6.5

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 92.4% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $705 in Montevideo. 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 32% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $332 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

5 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Montevideo 11,820 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Montevideo

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 Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,720 in Montevideo. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 167% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $613 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montevideo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.