Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and San Luis Potosi

For one person, living is cheaper in San Luis Potosi: $1,299 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
San Luis Potosi
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,299
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in San Luis Potosi

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,299 in San Luis Potosi, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,621
  • San Luis Potosi $1,299

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,028 in San Luis Potosi, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,555
  • San Luis Potosi $2,028

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,757 in San Luis Potosi, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,489
  • San Luis Potosi $2,757

Budapest costs about 25% more than San Luis Potosi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while San Luis Potosi is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
San Luis Potosi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.99 Ft 4,551
$14.08 MX$259
-0.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
$42.03 MX$772
43.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 Ft 3,241
$9.63 MX$177
3.43%
Cappuccino
$3.38 Ft 1,100
$3.35 MX$61.6
0.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 Ft 692
$1.33 MX$24.45
60.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 Ft 608
$0.97 MX$17.78
92.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 Ft 1,221
$2.67 MX$49.05
40.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 Ft 1,162
$4.76 MX$87.4
-25.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
San Luis Potosi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 Ft 368
$1.56 MX$28.67
-27.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 Ft 599
$2.63 MX$48.23
-30.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 Ft 777
$1.79 MX$32.88
33.52%
Eggs
$3.83 Ft 1,245
$2.64 MX$48.53
45.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 Ft 3,686
$8.63 MX$158
31.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.74 Ft 2,192
$10.15 MX$186
-33.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,780
$11.43 MX$210
28.52%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 Ft 597
$3.34 MX$61.4
-44.91%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 Ft 653
$1.65 MX$30.26
21.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 Ft 767
$2.23 MX$40.94
5.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 Ft 1,226
$2.57 MX$47.25
46.69%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 Ft 313
$2.69 MX$49.31
-64.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 Ft 334
$3.14 MX$57.7
-67.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 Ft 509
$1.10 MX$20.23
41.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 Ft 216
$1.30 MX$23.80
-49.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,591
$4.03 MX$74.0
97.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 Ft 1,954
$14.00 MX$257
-57.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 Ft 421
$2.15 MX$39.50
-39.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 Ft 676
$3.89 MX$71.4
-46.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
San Luis Potosi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 Ft 489
$0.85 MX$15.54
76.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.61 Ft 8,982
$71.5 MX$1,313
-61.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.30 Ft 1,074
$0.81 MX$14.88
307.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 Ft 424
$1.68 MX$30.86
-22.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.78 Ft 6,436
$9.80 MX$180
101.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 Ft 591
$1.47 MX$26.98
23.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
$21.2K MX$388.7K
38.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
$24.1K MX$442.1K
41.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
San Luis Potosi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 Ft 55.3K
$41.85 MX$768
306.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.98 Ft 7,802
$16.14 MX$296
48.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.42 Ft 7,621
$31.49 MX$578
-25.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
San Luis Potosi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
$31.00 MX$569
113.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 Ft 6,239
$27.81 MX$511
-31.03%
Cinema Ticket
$9.52 Ft 3,098
$5.84 MX$107
63.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
San Luis Potosi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$537 Ft 174.6K
$263 MX$4,821
104.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
$3,591 MX$65.9K
362.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
San Luis Potosi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 Ft 33.0K
$54.6 MX$1,002
85.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
$39.28 MX$721
9.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 Ft 36.7K
$102 MX$1,876
10.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.6K
$78.6 MX$1,444
51.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
San Luis Potosi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 Ft 262.0K
$665 MX$12.2K
21.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 204.7K
$466 MX$8,547
35.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
$1,184 MX$21.7K
30.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
$774 MX$14.2K
50.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
$1,399 MX$25.7K
301.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
$884 MX$16.2K
348.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
San Luis Potosi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
$872 MX$16.0K
86.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
12.68
-49.29%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Luis Potosi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$629
San Luis Potosi
$465 26% $164
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
San Luis Potosi
$300 16.4% $42
Eating Out
Budapest
$224
San Luis Potosi
$214 4.6% $10
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$217
San Luis Potosi
$89 58.8% $128
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$169
San Luis Potosi
$124 26.9% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$85
San Luis Potosi
$43 50% $43
Getting Around
Budapest
$43
San Luis Potosi
$84 93.7% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $665 in San Luis Potosi. 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 86% 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 $42.00 in San Luis Potosi. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $300 in San Luis Potosi – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇲🇽 San Luis Potosi
🕒 Local time
14:48 2:48 PM
06:48 6:48 AM
8 h behind Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
845,941
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest San Luis Potosi 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • San Luis Potosi

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 Luis Potosi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is San Luis Potosi cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,948 in San Luis Potosi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in San Luis Potosi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 159% less in San Luis Potosi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $263 in San Luis Potosi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in San Luis Potosi?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Luis Potosi, where all-in costs run around $1,299, than in Budapest at $1,621. In San Luis Potosi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or San Luis Potosi more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward San Luis Potosi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Budapest or San Luis Potosi?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with San Luis Potosi. 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.

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