Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Quilmes

For one person, living is cheaper in Quilmes: $965 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Quilmes
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Quilmes Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Quilmes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Quilmes

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $965 in Quilmes, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Quilmes $965

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,611 in Quilmes, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Quilmes $1,611

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,257 in Quilmes, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Quilmes $2,257

Budapest costs about 68% more than Quilmes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Quilmes is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$5.63 ARS 8,548

147.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$34.37 ARS 52.2K

78.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$8.93 ARS 13.5K

14.11%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.95 ARS 4,476

10.51%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.69 ARS 2,565

26.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.72 ARS 2,608

3.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$4.10 ARS 6,222

-9.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.19 ARS 3,329

72.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.98 ARS 1,488

17.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.56 ARS 2,373

14.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.63 ARS 2,478

52.76%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.25 ARS 3,408

73.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$13.26 ARS 20.1K

-16.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.86 ARS 8,899

12.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.18 ARS 15.4K

44.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.93 ARS 2,928

-5.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.58 ARS 2,398

29.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.01 ARS 1,531

134.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.08 ARS 4,673

26.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.99 ARS 1,499

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.65 ARS 986

53.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.73 ARS 1,105

116.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.69 ARS 1,041

-2.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.15 ARS 7,815

54.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.16 ARS 6,319

49.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.24 ARS 1,877

2.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.87 ARS 2,833

8.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.98 ARS 1,494

55.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.77 ARS 4,196

19.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.97 ARS 1,473

41.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.09 ARS 1,654

66.97%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$50.1K ARS 76.1M

-40.55%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$39.2K ARS 59.4M

-13.65%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$59.9 ARS 90.9K

185.58%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$14.26 ARS 21.6K

64.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$22.15 ARS 33.6K

5.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$27.18 ARS 41.2K

148.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$9.98 ARS 15.1K

-6.81%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$315 ARS 477.4K

69.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$97.6 ARS 148.1K

2.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$34.71 ARS 52.7K

25.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$63.0 ARS 95.7K

75.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$69.9 ARS 106.0K

70.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$519 ARS 787.3K

60.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$332 ARS 504.4K

87.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$999 ARS 1.5M

59.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$812 ARS 1.2M

44.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,324 ARS 3.5M

150.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,818 ARS 2.8M

113.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,114 ARS 1.7M

48.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

100

-93.55%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Quilmes: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Quilmes

$332 34.4% 46.6% $290

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Quilmes

$213 22.1% 17.5% $45

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Quilmes

$146 15.1% 34.6% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Quilmes

$96 10% 55.8% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Quilmes

$119 12.4% 28.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Quilmes

$47 4.9% 45.3% $39

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Quilmes

$12 * 1.2% 73.9% $33

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 $519 in Quilmes. 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 48% 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 $34.00 in Quilmes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $213 – making Quilmes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇦🇷 Quilmes

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

14:58 2:58 PM

5 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

230,810

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Quilmes 11,940 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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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 Quilmes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,448 in Quilmes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $34.00 in Quilmes. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quilmes, where all-in costs run around $965, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Quilmes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Quilmes – 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 Quilmes. 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.