Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Puerto Escondido

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Escondido: $1,151 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Puerto Escondido
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,151
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Puerto Escondido

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,151 in Puerto Escondido, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,619
  • Puerto Escondido $1,151

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,856 in Puerto Escondido, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,524
  • Puerto Escondido $1,856

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,561 in Puerto Escondido, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,429
  • Puerto Escondido $2,561

Budapest costs about 41% more than Puerto Escondido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Puerto Escondido is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Puerto Escondido
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.94 Ft 4,503
$10.52 MX$194
32.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
$42.96 MX$794
42.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.19 Ft 3,291
$8.65 MX$160
17.80%
Cappuccino
$3.26 Ft 1,055
$3.58 MX$66.1
-8.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 Ft 690
$1.42 MX$26.25
50.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 Ft 577
$1.05 MX$19.38
69.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.71 Ft 1,198
$3.04 MX$56.2
22.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.77 Ft 1,217
$4.05 MX$74.9
-6.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Puerto Escondido
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 Ft 371
$1.85 MX$34.14
-37.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 Ft 578
$2.84 MX$52.5
-36.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 Ft 804
$1.64 MX$30.22
51.83%
Eggs
$3.90 Ft 1,261
$2.80 MX$51.7
39.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.10 Ft 3,587
$8.20 MX$152
35.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 Ft 2,139
$10.98 MX$203
-39.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,745
$11.54 MX$213
27.30%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 Ft 591
$2.68 MX$49.45
-31.72%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 Ft 661
$1.59 MX$29.42
28.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.37 Ft 765
$1.86 MX$34.42
27.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.90 Ft 1,260
$1.73 MX$32.01
125.43%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 Ft 320
$1.59 MX$29.46
-37.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.00 Ft 322
$2.02 MX$37.35
-50.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 Ft 511
$1.48 MX$27.28
6.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 Ft 216
$1.14 MX$21.15
-41.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,572
$4.48 MX$82.7
77.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.22 Ft 2,009
$10.36 MX$191
-39.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 Ft 411
$2.46 MX$45.43
-48.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 Ft 654
$3.09 MX$57.1
-34.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Puerto Escondido
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 Ft 490
$0.83 MX$15.35
83.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.02 Ft 9,053
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 Ft 1,070
$2.80 MX$51.7
18.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 Ft 442
$1.78 MX$32.92
-23.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.83 Ft 6,406
$9.89 MX$183
100.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 Ft 589
$1.36 MX$25.14
33.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
$18.7K MX$344.9K
59.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
$25.2K MX$465.2K
34.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Puerto Escondido
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$171 Ft 55.3K
$64.7 MX$1,196
164.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.51 Ft 7,596
$22.92 MX$424
2.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.29 Ft 7,526
$36.45 MX$674
-36.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Puerto Escondido
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
$27.77 MX$513
143.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.89 Ft 6,104
$19.89 MX$368
-5.03%
Cinema Ticket
$9.30 Ft 3,004
$4.56 MX$84.2
103.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Puerto Escondido
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$533 Ft 172.3K
$220 MX$4,069
142.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
$4,364 MX$80.6K
283.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Puerto Escondido
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
$49.88 MX$922
99.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
$42.79 MX$791
1.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 Ft 35.7K
$91.6 MX$1,693
20.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.4K
$84.0 MX$1,553
41.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Puerto Escondido
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$830 Ft 268.3K
$601 MX$11.1K
38.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 Ft 200.9K
$382 MX$7,061
62.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
$960 MX$17.7K
66.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
$778 MX$14.4K
50.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
$2,036 MX$37.6K
186.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
$1,289 MX$23.8K
201.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Puerto Escondido
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
$327 MX$6,035
405.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.45
11.3
-42.92%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Puerto Escondido: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$622
Puerto Escondido
$382 38.6% $240
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Puerto Escondido
$285 10.7% $28
Eating Out
Budapest
$223
Puerto Escondido
$186 16.5% $37
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$218
Puerto Escondido
$124 43.1% $94
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$168
Puerto Escondido
$121 27.9% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$86
Puerto Escondido
$37 57.2% $49
Getting Around
Budapest
$44
Puerto Escondido
$15 * 66% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $601 in Puerto Escondido. 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 406% 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $43.00 in Puerto Escondido. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $285 in Puerto Escondido – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇲🇽 Puerto Escondido
🕒 Local time
19:40 7:40 PM
11:40 11:40 AM
8 h behind Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
25,902
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Puerto Escondido 10,550 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Puerto Escondido

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 Puerto Escondido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Puerto Escondido cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,726 in Puerto Escondido. 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 Puerto Escondido, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Budapest or in Puerto Escondido?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $43.00 in Puerto Escondido. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Budapest and in Puerto Escondido?
Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Puerto Escondido?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Escondido, where all-in costs run around $1,151, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Puerto Escondido it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Puerto Escondido more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Puerto Escondido – 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 Puerto Escondido?
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 Puerto Escondido. 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.

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