Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Santa Cruz do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul: $949 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz do Sul
Learn more

Santa Cruz do Sul Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Santa Cruz do Sul

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 Santa Cruz do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $949 in Santa Cruz do Sul, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Santa Cruz do Sul $949

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,519 in Santa Cruz do Sul, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Santa Cruz do Sul $1,519

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,089 in Santa Cruz do Sul, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Santa Cruz do Sul $2,089

Budapest costs about 73% more than Santa Cruz do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Santa Cruz do Sul is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$5.96 R$30.23

135.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$35.87 R$182

69.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$7.10 R$35.99

46.06%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.24 R$11.36

54.46%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.35 R$6.82

53.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.88 R$4.46

101.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.74 R$8.82

112.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$2.70 R$13.70

40.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$0.88 R$4.45

31.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.80 R$9.15

2.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.39 R$7.07

72.66%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$2.24 R$11.36

78.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$8.97 R$45.45

27.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$4.80 R$24.32

43.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$7.87 R$39.91

84.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$2.18 R$11.06

-13.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.11 R$5.63

92.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.18 R$5.99

94.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$1.52 R$7.73

165.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$1.26 R$6.37

-19.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.21 R$6.12

-18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.89 R$4.52

77.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.87 R$4.42

-19.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$2.33 R$11.80

244.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$7.22 R$36.60

-14.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.17 R$5.91

5.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.99 R$10.11

3.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.99 R$5.00

60.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$48.92 R$248

-43.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$1.17 R$5.91

193.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.92 R$4.66

44.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$7.79 R$39.50

162.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.11 R$5.64

73.87%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$20.3K R$103.1K

43.24%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$33.4K R$169.4K

3.92%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$86.3 R$438

102.28%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$13.08 R$66.3

80.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$23.04 R$117

2.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$25.93 R$131

165.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$24.49 R$124

-21.36%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$7.66 R$38.85

34.60%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$288 R$1,462

85.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,499 R$32.9K

159.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$49.59 R$251

101.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$55.4 R$281

-21.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$99.2 R$503

12.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$65.8 R$333

80.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$533 R$2,702

56.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$296 R$1,499

112.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$927 R$4,697

71.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$607 R$3,075

97.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$1,850 R$9,380

209.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,188 R$6,021

232.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$373 R$1,889

359.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-41.36%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz do Sul: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$296 31.2% 53% $333

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$190 20.1% 27.3% $71

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$119 12.5% 47.5% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$122 12.9% 44.8% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$121 12.8% 27.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$41 4.4% 53.9% $48

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$59 6.2% 33.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $533 in Santa Cruz do Sul. 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 360% 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 $36.00 in Santa Cruz do Sul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $190 – making Santa Cruz do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇷 Santa Cruz do Sul

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

20:31 8:31 PM

5 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

133,246

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Santa Cruz do Sul 11,150 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Santa Cruz do Sul

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 Santa Cruz do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,423 in Santa Cruz do Sul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 78% less in Santa Cruz do Sul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $288 in Santa Cruz do Sul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz do Sul, where all-in costs run around $949, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Santa Cruz do Sul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Cruz do Sul – 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 Santa Cruz do Sul. 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.