Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Queretaro

For one person, living is cheaper in Queretaro: $1,395 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
Learn more

Queretaro Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Queretaro

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $1,395 in Queretaro, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Queretaro $1,395

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $2,130 in Queretaro, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Queretaro $2,130

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $2,866 in Queretaro, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Queretaro $2,866

Budapest costs about 17% more than Queretaro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Budapest and Queretaro sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Queretaro by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,552

$10.58 MX$197

30.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

$61.4 MX$1,144

0.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,349

$9.36 MX$174

8.55%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,062

$3.59 MX$66.9

-10.31%

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

$2.06 Ft 680

$1.57 MX$29.23

31.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 605

$1.03 MX$19.28

77.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,188

$3.16 MX$58.8

13.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,208

$5.28 MX$98.5

-30.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.92 MX$35.83

-38.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 617

$2.60 MX$48.53

-28.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 780

$1.93 MX$35.94

22.80%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,305

$2.61 MX$48.72

51.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,680

$8.82 MX$164

26.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,228

$8.58 MX$160

-21.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,731

$13.65 MX$255

5.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 596

$3.32 MX$61.9

-45.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$1.57 MX$29.20

34.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 770

$2.11 MX$39.41

10.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,254

$1.93 MX$35.94

96.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$1.81 MX$33.83

-45.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$1.79 MX$33.39

-45.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 512

$1.46 MX$27.15

6.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 230

$1.20 MX$22.38

-41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,569

$4.57 MX$85.3

70.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,995

$17.26 MX$322

-64.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$2.20 MX$40.97

-41.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 672

$3.89 MX$72.5

-47.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$0.57 MX$10.62

171.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

$24.09 MX$449

13.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$3.28 MX$61.2

0.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$2.59 MX$48.28

-49.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,679

$10.97 MX$204

84.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 600

$1.47 MX$27.44

23.81%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$24.2K MX$450.4K

18.88%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$22.8K MX$425.6K

44.90%

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

$172 Ft 56.8K

$55.9 MX$1,043

207.79%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,897

$26.29 MX$490

-8.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,685

$24.64 MX$459

-5.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$47.48 MX$885

44.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

$24.17 MX$450

-21.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,356

$7.06 MX$132

44.19%

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

$600 Ft 197.9K

$262 MX$4,888

128.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$5,028 MX$93.7K

233.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$52.1 MX$972

89.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

$44.86 MX$836

-3.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$99.9 MX$1,862

12.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$94.8 MX$1,768

23.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

$842 MX$15.7K

-0.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

$560 MX$10.4K

14.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

$1,447 MX$27.0K

10.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

$836 MX$15.6K

44.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$2,019 MX$37.6K

178.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$1,122 MX$20.9K

238.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

$951 MX$17.7K

75.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

11.99

-46.21%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Queretaro: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Queretaro

$560 40.1% 12.5% $80

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Queretaro

$300 21.5% 16.3% $42

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Queretaro

$193 13.8% 12.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Queretaro

$107 7.7% 51.3% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Queretaro

$131 9.4% 21.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Queretaro

$62 4.4% 30.7% $27

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Queretaro

$43 3.1% 1.7% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $842 in Queretaro. 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 76% higher in Budapest. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $61 in Queretaro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $300 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

16:09 4:09 PM

7 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

804,663

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Queretaro 10,340 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Queretaro

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 Queretaro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $2,093 in Queretaro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $836 in Budapest and $842 in Queretaro. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Queretaro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,638 in Budapest and $1,395 in Queretaro. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Queretaro costs $1,395 versus $1,638 in Budapest. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Queretaro. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.