Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and San Juan

For one person, living costs are similar in Budapest and in San Juan: $1,619 and $1,684 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,684 in San Juan, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
San Juan $1,684

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,772 in San Juan, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
San Juan $2,772

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,861 in San Juan, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
San Juan $3,861

Budapest is about 4% cheaper than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and San Juan sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, San Juan by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$12.36 ₡5,541

12.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-0.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$11.46 ₡5,139

-11.08%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.42 ₡1,982

-26.24%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.77 ₡1,240

-22.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.94 ₡870

-8.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.31 ₡1,483

12.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.45 ₡1,996

-15.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.34 ₡1,052

-50.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$3.18 ₡1,425

-43.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.51 ₡1,125

-0.80%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.46 ₡1,551

12.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.66 ₡4,782

4.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$10.33 ₡4,633

-35.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$13.90 ₡6,233

5.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$4.97 ₡2,230

-63.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.59 ₡714

28.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$4.64 ₡2,079

-48.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.95 ₡1,771

-1.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.86 ₡1,731

-74.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$3.75 ₡1,684

-73.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.07 ₡479

47.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$3.08 ₡1,379

-78.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.00 ₡2,691

32.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$19.72 ₡8,844

-68.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.76 ₡1,236

-53.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.69 ₡1,654

-44.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.37 ₡614

10.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.41 ₡1,079

37.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.54 ₡693

-11.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$8.58 ₡3,849

131.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.55 ₡695

17.42%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

37.73%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$34.9K ₡15.6M

-3.02%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$96.4 ₡43.2K

77.57%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$35.06 ₡15.7K

-32.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$59.3 ₡26.6K

-60.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$66.9 ₡30.0K

0.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.50 ₡3,362

24.00%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$1,001 ₡449.1K

-46.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-0.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$70.9 ₡31.8K

40.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$55.3 ₡24.8K

-21.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$126 ₡56.6K

-12.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$134 ₡60.2K

-11.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$717 ₡321.3K

15.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$593 ₡266.1K

4.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,850 ₡829.6K

-13.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,386 ₡621.4K

-15.53%

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

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 Juan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

San Juan

$593 35.2% 4.6% $29

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

San Juan

$398 23.6% 54.3% $140

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

San Juan

$231 13.7% 3.4% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

San Juan

$191 11.3% 12.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

San Juan

$174 10.3% 3.8% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

San Juan

$82 4.9% 4.9% $4.2

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

San Juan

$16 * 0.9% 64.7% $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 $717 in San Juan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $61.0 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $398 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

07:26 7:26 AM

8 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

27,000

💱 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 Juan 10,160 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
San Juan

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 Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Juan is pricier by about 4%, 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 $2,526 in San Juan. 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.

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

Groceries cost about 54% more in San Juan, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in San Juan at $1,684. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Juan 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 Juan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.