Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Philipsburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,149 in Philipsburg, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Philipsburg
Learn more

Philipsburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Philipsburg

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Philipsburg

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $3,149 in Philipsburg, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Philipsburg $3,149

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $6,004 in Philipsburg, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Philipsburg $6,004

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $8,859 in Philipsburg, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Philipsburg $8,859

Budapest is about 49% cheaper than Philipsburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Philipsburg sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Philipsburg by 135%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$15.49 ANG 27.73

-9.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$70.8 ANG 127

-14.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$8.04 ANG 14.39

23.88%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$4.38 ANG 7.83

-22.83%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$2.90 ANG 5.19

-26.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$4.11 ANG 7.35

-54.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.97 ANG 5.31

26.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$6.55 ANG 11.72

-45.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$3.06 ANG 5.48

-63.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$2.64 ANG 4.72

-30.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.53 ANG 4.53

-5.53%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$6.54 ANG 11.70

-41.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$18.69 ANG 33.46

-39.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$13.75 ANG 24.61

-50.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$14.89 ANG 26.66

-1.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$5.07 ANG 9.07

-63.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$5.07 ANG 9.08

-60.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$9.20 ANG 16.46

-74.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$7.58 ANG 13.57

-50.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$4.06 ANG 7.27

-76.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$4.04 ANG 7.22

-74.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$4.88 ANG 8.74

-68.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.34 ANG 2.40

-50.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$8.16 ANG 14.61

-2.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$10.82 ANG 19.37

-44.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$5.13 ANG 9.19

-74.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$2.26 ANG 4.05

-33.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$1.47 ANG 2.63

1778.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$15.04 ANG 26.92

-78.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$152 ANG 271

12.16%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$32.40 ANG 58.0

-25.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$65.8 ANG 118

-64.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$62.7 ANG 112

5.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$10.92 ANG 19.54

-12.82%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$248 ANG 443

116.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$12.0K ANG 21.4K

38.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$2,145 ANG 3,840

-62.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$1,994 ANG 3,570

-68.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$6,614 ANG 11.8K

-76.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$6,466 ANG 11.6K

-81.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$1,132 ANG 2,026

43.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

28.60%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Philipsburg: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Philipsburg

$2K 64.2% 217% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Philipsburg

$496 * 16% 92.7% $239

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Philipsburg

$256 8.3% 14.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Philipsburg

$250 8% 14.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Philipsburg

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Philipsburg

$85 2.7% 0.9% $0.7

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Philipsburg

$26 * 0.8% 41.2% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $2,145 in Philipsburg. 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 44% 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 $71.0 in Philipsburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $496 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇸🇽 Philipsburg

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

04:27 4:27 AM

6 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.498 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, 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).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.498 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Philipsburg 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Philipsburg

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 Philipsburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Philipsburg is pricier by about 94%, 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 $4,723 in Philipsburg. 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 1778% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $248 in Philipsburg. 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 Philipsburg at $3,149. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Philipsburg 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, Philipsburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.