Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and San Francisco

For one person, living costs are similar in Budapest and in San Francisco: $1,619 and $1,672 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco
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San Francisco Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

San Francisco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,672

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in San Francisco

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,672 in San Francisco, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
San Francisco $1,672

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,668 in San Francisco, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
San Francisco $2,668

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,664 in San Francisco, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
San Francisco $3,664

Budapest is about 3% cheaper than San Francisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and San Francisco sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, San Francisco by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$10.08 ₡4,520

38.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$61.8 ₡27.7K

-0.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$11.03 ₡4,947

-7.62%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.33 ₡1,941

-24.71%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.30 ₡582

64.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.81 ₡810

-1.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.35 ₡1,504

10.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.31 ₡1,932

-12.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.32 ₡1,039

-50.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$3.03 ₡1,360

-40.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.44 ₡1,095

2.05%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.51 ₡1,575

11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.83 ₡4,859

2.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$10.43 ₡4,677

-36.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$13.81 ₡6,192

6.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$5.00 ₡2,241

-63.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.64 ₡735

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$4.85 ₡2,177

-51.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.96 ₡1,777

-1.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.75 ₡1,683

-73.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$3.59 ₡1,609

-72.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.08 ₡483

46.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$3.20 ₡1,435

-79.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.80 ₡2,601

37.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$20.33 ₡9,119

-69.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.81 ₡1,262

-54.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.66 ₡1,642

-44.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.34 ₡602

13.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-57.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.78 ₡800

85.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.63 ₡732

-15.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$8.91 ₡3,994

122.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.49 ₡667

22.15%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$22.0K ₡9.9M

35.58%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$35.0K ₡15.7M

-3.48%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$76.3 ₡34.2K

124.27%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$33.48 ₡15.0K

-29.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$48.18 ₡21.6K

-51.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$74.2 ₡33.3K

-9.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.52 ₡3,373

23.67%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$973 ₡436.4K

-45.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$16.8K ₡7.5M

-0.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$71.1 ₡31.9K

40.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$55.2 ₡24.8K

-21.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$66.7 ₡29.9K

65.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$53.8 ₡24.1K

120.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$808 ₡362.4K

2.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$629 ₡282.0K

-1.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,914 ₡858.5K

-16.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,267 ₡568.0K

-7.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$892 ₡400.1K

85.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.62

-25.17%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Francisco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

San Francisco

$629 37.6% 1.1% $6.9

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

San Francisco

$401 24% 55.3% $143

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

San Francisco

$203 12.2% 8.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

San Francisco

$158 9.5% 27.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

San Francisco

$111 6.6% 33.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

San Francisco

$89 5.3% 3.6% $3.1

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

San Francisco

$81 4.8% 82.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $808 in San Francisco. 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 85% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $62.0 in San Francisco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $401 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇷 San Francisco

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

07:26 7:26 AM

8 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

55,923

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest San Francisco 10,160 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
San Francisco

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 San Francisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Francisco is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,508 in San Francisco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 133% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $973 in San Francisco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in San Francisco at $1,672. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Francisco it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Francisco makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.