Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Perez Zeledon

For one person, living is cheaper in Perez Zeledon: $1,328 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Perez Zeledon

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,328 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Perez Zeledon $1,328

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $2,371 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Perez Zeledon $2,371

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $3,414 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Perez Zeledon $3,414

Budapest costs about 24% more than Perez Zeledon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Perez Zeledon is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$9.34 ₡4,188

50.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$36.62 ₡16.4K

66.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$8.23 ₡3,689

26.00%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.70 ₡1,210

28.15%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.96 ₡880

5.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$1.71 ₡766

3.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.79 ₡804

106.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$3.08 ₡1,380

23.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.64 ₡735

-29.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$3.03 ₡1,357

-38.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$2.47 ₡1,109

-2.83%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$2.48 ₡1,113

60.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$10.62 ₡4,763

7.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$10.36 ₡4,646

-33.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$13.82 ₡6,196

4.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$4.99 ₡2,238

-62.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.08 ₡483

98.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$4.85 ₡2,174

-52.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$3.96 ₡1,777

2.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$3.86 ₡1,730

-73.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.78 ₡1,693

-73.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.46 ₡205

243.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$3.21 ₡1,441

-78.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$5.76 ₡2,582

39.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$19.78 ₡8,870

-68.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$2.77 ₡1,240

-55.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$3.50 ₡1,572

-41.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.77 ₡344

106.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$2.51 ₡1,125

36.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$1.61 ₡720

-17.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$8.81 ₡3,952

132.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.54 ₡689

25.32%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$22.3K ₡10.0M

30.60%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$34.8K ₡15.6M

-0.10%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$92.9 ₡41.7K

87.95%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$23.91 ₡10.7K

-1.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$58.7 ₡26.3K

-59.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$72.4 ₡32.5K

-4.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$7.46 ₡3,346

38.20%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$508 ₡227.7K

5.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-0.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$72.9 ₡32.7K

37.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$56.8 ₡25.5K

-23.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$129 ₡58.0K

-13.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$130 ₡58.1K

-8.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$401 ₡180.0K

107.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$333 ₡149.4K

88.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$1,898 ₡851.1K

-16.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$1,258 ₡564.0K

-4.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.62

-25.17%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Perez Zeledon

$333 25.1% 47.1% $296

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Perez Zeledon

$382 28.8% 46% $120

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Perez Zeledon

$162 12.2% 28.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Perez Zeledon

$176 13.2% 20.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Perez Zeledon

$175 13.2% 4% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Perez Zeledon

$87 6.6% 2.4% $2.2

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1% 69.1% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $401 in Perez Zeledon. 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 $37.00 in Perez Zeledon. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Budapest vs $382 in Perez Zeledon – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

16:18 4:18 PM

8 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

135,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Perez Zeledon 10,180 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Perez Zeledon

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 Perez Zeledon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,992 in Perez Zeledon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $37.00 in Perez Zeledon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 46% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Perez Zeledon, where all-in costs run around $1,328, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Perez Zeledon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Perez Zeledon – 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 Perez Zeledon. 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.