Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Puebla

For one person, living is cheaper in Puebla: $1,161 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Puebla
Learn more

Puebla Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Puebla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Puebla

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,161 in Puebla, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Puebla $1,161

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,853 in Puebla, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Puebla $1,853

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,545 in Puebla, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Puebla $2,545

Budapest costs about 40% more than Puebla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Puebla is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$9.88 MX$180

41.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$48.13 MX$876

25.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$9.43 MX$171

5.62%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$3.35 MX$60.9

0.90%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$1.54 MX$28.05

38.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$1.19 MX$21.59

57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$2.85 MX$51.9

31.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$3.85 MX$70.1

-7.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.58 MX$28.77

-28.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$3.10 MX$56.3

-40.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.85 MX$33.67

29.19%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$3.46 MX$62.9

10.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$6.70 MX$122

69.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$5.77 MX$105

16.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$11.22 MX$204

30.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$2.72 MX$49.42

-32.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.73 MX$31.44

16.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.96 MX$35.68

20.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$2.05 MX$37.30

83.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$2.10 MX$38.22

-54.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$2.02 MX$36.81

-49.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.53 MX$27.89

1.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.31 MX$23.91

-49.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$5.22 MX$95.0

52.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$14.06 MX$256

-57.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.43 MX$26.02

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$2.57 MX$46.66

-19.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.56 MX$10.25

167.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$24.50 MX$446

12.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$5.46 MX$99.2

-39.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.98 MX$36.04

-34.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$15.74 MX$286

25.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.51 MX$27.45

19.87%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$21.5K MX$391.6K

36.24%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$25.1K MX$456.0K

36.07%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$62.1 MX$1,129

173.83%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$18.96 MX$345

26.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$23.89 MX$434

-1.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$42.50 MX$773

55.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$13.53 MX$246

41.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$5.69 MX$103

67.31%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$416 MX$7,562

29.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$20.2K MX$367.3K

-17.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$58.4 MX$1,062

73.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$62.0 MX$1,128

-30.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$102 MX$1,846

11.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$96.8 MX$1,761

22.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$639 MX$11.6K

26.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$354 MX$6,439

77.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$882 MX$16.0K

75.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$664 MX$12.1K

75.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,660 MX$30.2K

238.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$905 MX$16.5K

338.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$663 MX$12.1K

145.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

10.96

-41.33%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Puebla: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Puebla

$354 31% 43.7% $275

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Puebla

$265 23.2% 3% $7.7

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Puebla

$180 15.8% 19.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Puebla

$105 9.2% 51.7% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Puebla

$143 12.5% 15.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Puebla

$54 4.7% 36.8% $31

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Puebla

$42 3.7% 3% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $639 in Puebla. 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 145% higher in Budapest, 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 $48.00 in Puebla. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $265 in Puebla – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇽 Puebla

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

23:07 11:07 PM

8 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,542,232

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Puebla 10,340 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Puebla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,741 in Puebla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 13% less in Puebla. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $416 in Puebla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Puebla, where all-in costs run around $1,161, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Puebla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Puebla – 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 Puebla. 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.