Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Oranjestad

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,327 in Oranjestad, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Oranjestad
🇦🇼 Aruba
$2,327
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Oranjestad

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $2,327 in Oranjestad, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,621
  • Oranjestad $2,327

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $4,208 in Oranjestad, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,555
  • Oranjestad $4,208

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $6,089 in Oranjestad, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,489
  • Oranjestad $6,089

Budapest is about 30% cheaper than Oranjestad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Oranjestad sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Oranjestad by 74%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Oranjestad
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.99 Ft 4,551
$22.18 AWG 39.71
-36.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
$79.3 AWG 142
-23.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 Ft 3,241
$10.14 AWG 18.16
-1.78%
Cappuccino
$3.38 Ft 1,100
$4.29 AWG 7.68
-21.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 Ft 692
$1.41 AWG 2.52
51.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 Ft 608
$1.66 AWG 2.97
12.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 Ft 1,221
$2.92 AWG 5.24
28.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 Ft 1,162
$4.10 AWG 7.33
-12.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Oranjestad
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 Ft 368
$1.84 AWG 3.30
-38.59%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 Ft 599
$2.93 AWG 5.24
-37.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 Ft 777
$2.91 AWG 5.21
-17.87%
Eggs
$3.83 Ft 1,245
$5.40 AWG 9.66
-29.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 Ft 3,686
$12.62 AWG 22.59
-10.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.74 Ft 2,192
$9.22 AWG 16.50
-26.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,780
$12.03 AWG 21.54
22.11%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 Ft 597
$4.68 AWG 8.37
-60.68%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 Ft 653
$2.31 AWG 4.13
-12.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 Ft 767
$5.11 AWG 9.15
-53.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 Ft 1,226
$3.56 AWG 6.38
5.90%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 Ft 313
$2.19 AWG 3.91
-56.16%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 Ft 334
$2.05 AWG 3.67
-49.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 Ft 509
$2.67 AWG 4.78
-41.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 Ft 216
$1.59 AWG 2.84
-58.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,591
$9.91 AWG 17.75
-19.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 Ft 1,954
$9.70 AWG 17.36
-38.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 Ft 421
$3.95 AWG 7.07
-67.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 Ft 676
$4.33 AWG 7.74
-51.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Oranjestad
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 Ft 489
$2.14 AWG 3.83
-29.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.61 Ft 8,982
$30.14 AWG 54.0
-8.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.30 Ft 1,074
$16.86 AWG 30.18
-80.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 Ft 424
$3.83 AWG 6.86
-66.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.78 Ft 6,436
$24.95 AWG 44.67
-20.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 Ft 591
$2.04 AWG 3.65
-11.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
$25.9K AWG 46.4K
13.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
$34.7K AWG 62.2K
-1.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Oranjestad
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 Ft 55.3K
$252 AWG 451
-32.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.98 Ft 7,802
$48.35 AWG 86.6
-50.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.42 Ft 7,621
$104 AWG 187
-77.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Oranjestad
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
$62.3 AWG 111
6.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 Ft 6,239
$26.38 AWG 47.22
-27.29%
Cinema Ticket
$9.52 Ft 3,098
$12.02 AWG 21.52
-20.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Oranjestad
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$537 Ft 174.6K
$254 AWG 455
111.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
$8,657 AWG 15.5K
91.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Oranjestad
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 Ft 33.0K
$59.1 AWG 106
71.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
$51.3 AWG 91.9
-16.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 Ft 36.7K
$109 AWG 195
3.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.6K
$104 AWG 186
14.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Oranjestad
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 Ft 262.0K
$935 AWG 1,673
-13.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 204.7K
$936 AWG 1,676
-32.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
$2,703 AWG 4,839
-42.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
$3,031 AWG 5,426
-61.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
$2,210 AWG 3,956
154.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
$1,744 AWG 3,121
127.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Oranjestad
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
$1,706 AWG 3,053
-4.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
6.25
2.88%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Oranjestad: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$629
Oranjestad
$936 48.8% $307
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Oranjestad
$365 41.6% $107
Eating Out
Budapest
$224
Oranjestad
$294 31.3% $70
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$217
Oranjestad
$405 86.1% $187
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$169
Oranjestad
$145 14.1% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$85
Oranjestad
$86 1.2% $1
Getting Around
Budapest
$43
Oranjestad
$75 72.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $935 in Oranjestad. 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 5% higher in Oranjestad, 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 $79.0 in Oranjestad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $365 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇦🇼 Oranjestad
🕒 Local time
13:18 1:18 PM
07:18 7:18 AM
6 h behind Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
35,000 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

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).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.499 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Oranjestad 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Oranjestad

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 Oranjestad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Oranjestad cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Oranjestad is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $3,491 in Oranjestad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 9% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $254 in Oranjestad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Oranjestad?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Oranjestad at $2,327. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oranjestad it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Oranjestad more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Oranjestad?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oranjestad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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