Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Pasto

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasto: $799 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Pasto
Learn more

Pasto Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Pasto

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $799 in Pasto, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Pasto $799

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,210 in Pasto, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Pasto $1,210

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,622 in Pasto, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Pasto $1,622

Budapest costs about 103% more than Pasto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Pasto is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.98 COP 12.6K

250.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$23.79 COP 75.4K

157.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.46 COP 23.7K

36.60%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.56 COP 4,934

108.97%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.86 COP 2,724

148.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.61 COP 1,943

191.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.16 COP 3,666

219.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.20 COP 6,968

71.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.09 COP 3,464

5.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.29 COP 4,088

38.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.18 COP 3,744

111.02%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.14 COP 6,771

82.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$4.61 COP 14.6K

140.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.26 COP 16.7K

25.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$7.29 COP 23.1K

101.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.44 COP 7,748

-25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.04 COP 3,302

97.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.30 COP 4,108

82.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.07 COP 3,379

264.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.15 COP 3,648

-13.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.13 COP 3,586

-11.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.80 COP 2,537

97.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.64 COP 2,041

4.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.37 COP 7,509

235.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$9.81 COP 31.1K

-36.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.09 COP 3,443

16.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.77 COP 5,599

14.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.72 COP 2,271

111.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$30.39 COP 96.4K

-7.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.43 COP 4,532

131.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.79 COP 5,688

-23.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$5.98 COP 18.9K

231.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.93 COP 2,958

95.70%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$18.1K COP 57.2M

65.04%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$25.7K COP 81.6M

31.33%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$83.4 COP 264.4K

105.20%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$8.89 COP 28.2K

164.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$22.38 COP 71.0K

4.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$23.02 COP 73.0K

193.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$3.89 COP 12.3K

139.07%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$235 COP 744.6K

127.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,071 COP 19.2M

176.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$58.6 COP 185.6K

70.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$32.60 COP 103.4K

33.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$82.4 COP 261.4K

33.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$71.8 COP 227.6K

65.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$269 COP 851.9K

209.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$237 COP 751.4K

162.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$530 COP 1.7M

200.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$415 COP 1.3M

182.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,429 COP 4.5M

308.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,069 COP 3.4M

263.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

13.06

-50.61%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pasto: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Pasto

$237 29.7% 61.9% $385

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Pasto

$173 21.7% 32.8% $85

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Pasto

$89 11.1% 60.1% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Pasto

$115 14.4% 47.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Pasto

$110 13.8% 34.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Pasto

$31 3.9% 64.2% $55

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Pasto

$44 5.5% 1.3% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $269 in Pasto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $24.00 in Pasto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $173 – making Pasto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇴 Pasto

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

22:16 10:16 PM

7 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

392,930

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Pasto 10,380 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Pasto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 103%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,198 in Pasto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 8% less in Pasto. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $235 in Pasto. 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 Pasto, where all-in costs run around $799, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Pasto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pasto – 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 Pasto. 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.