Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Quezon City

For one person, living is cheaper in Quezon City: $855 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Quezon City
Learn more

Quezon City Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Quezon City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Quezon City

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $855 in Quezon City, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Quezon City $855

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,385 in Quezon City, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Quezon City $1,385

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,916 in Quezon City, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Quezon City $1,916

Budapest costs about 90% more than Quezon City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Quezon City is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$4.45 ₱279

214.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$18.78 ₱1,178

221.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$2.86 ₱179

248.25%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.77 ₱174

22.02%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.69 ₱43.17

208.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.29 ₱18.35

544.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$1.47 ₱92.5

155.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$2.72 ₱171

31.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.71 ₱107

-33.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.15 ₱72.1

60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$0.85 ₱53.0

181.18%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$1.76 ₱110

117.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$6.83 ₱428

65.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$4.29 ₱269

57.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$7.29 ₱457

101.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$3.84 ₱241

-52.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.42 ₱88.9

41.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$3.57 ₱224

-33.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.14 ₱71.3

230.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$2.40 ₱150

-60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$3.45 ₱217

-70.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.38 ₱86.3

13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.97 ₱61.0

-31.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$2.84 ₱178

180.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$7.62 ₱478

-21.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.30 ₱81.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$1.76 ₱110

18.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.40 ₱24.91

275.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$18.79 ₱1,179

46.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$0.76 ₱47.86

334.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.21 ₱13.15

519.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$2.47 ₱155

700.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.19 ₱74.4

52.10%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

39.44%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

80.44%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$165 ₱10.3K

3.29%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$14.28 ₱896

67.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$24.21 ₱1,518

-3.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$37.71 ₱2,365

75.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$3.41 ₱214

462.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$7.22 ₱453

31.86%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$73.1 ₱4,583

634.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$2,472 ₱155.1K

571.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$35.88 ₱2,250

182.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$22.30 ₱1,398

92.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$79.5 ₱4,989

41.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$75.4 ₱4,729

57.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$314 ₱19.7K

156.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$190 ₱11.9K

230.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$746 ₱46.8K

107.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$520 ₱32.6K

124.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,326 ₱145.9K

141.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,421 ₱89.1K

179.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$440 ₱27.6K

269.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

-8.14%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Quezon City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Quezon City

$190 22% 69.7% $439

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Quezon City

$207 23.9% 19.6% $51

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Quezon City

$94 10.9% 58% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Quezon City

$203 23.5% 6.6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Quezon City

$96 11.1% 43.3% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Quezon City

$52 6% 38.8% $33

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Quezon City

$22 2.6% 48.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $314 in Quezon City. 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 269% 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 $19.00 in Quezon City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $207 – making Quezon City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇭 Quezon City

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

14:31 2:31 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

2,936,116

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Quezon City 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Quezon City

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 Quezon City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 90%, 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 $1,282 in Quezon City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 47% less in Quezon City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $73.1 in Quezon City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quezon City, where all-in costs run around $855, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Quezon City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Quezon City – 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 Quezon City. 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.