Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Santa Cruz, Laguna

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $626 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
Learn more

Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Santa Cruz, Laguna

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $626 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Santa Cruz, Laguna $626

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $931 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Santa Cruz, Laguna $931

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,236 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,236

Budapest costs about 158% more than Santa Cruz, Laguna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Santa Cruz, Laguna is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$1.57 ₱99.0

787.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$8.09 ₱509

656.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$2.76 ₱174

269.20%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.78 ₱112

83.15%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.38 ₱23.98

463.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.23 ₱14.42

673.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.99 ₱62.2

274.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$0.99 ₱62.1

280.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.63 ₱103

-29.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.16 ₱72.9

54.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.00 ₱63.3

149.00%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.55 ₱97.5

151.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$4.65 ₱293

138.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.50 ₱220

89.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$7.07 ₱445

107.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.46 ₱92.1

25.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$0.46 ₱28.85

345.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.44 ₱91.0

64.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.02 ₱64.2

282.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.76 ₱111

-43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.74 ₱109

-42.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.67 ₱41.99

135.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.53 ₱33.46

26.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.89 ₱182

175.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$8.60 ₱541

-27.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.97 ₱61.0

30.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.08 ₱131

-2.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.21 ₱13.40

623.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$11.41 ₱718

145.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.81 ₱51.2

308.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.23 ₱14.36

495.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$1.92 ₱121

932.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.25 ₱78.7

45.60%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

40.57%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

75.65%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$85.1 ₱5,359

101.03%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$17.58 ₱1,107

33.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$23.61 ₱1,487

-1.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$31.48 ₱1,982

114.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$4.14 ₱261

356.28%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.13 ₱323

81.29%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$134 ₱8,442

297.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$10.7K ₱675.9K

56.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$28.89 ₱1,819

244.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$19.72 ₱1,242

120.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$72.5 ₱4,565

52.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$55.8 ₱3,515

113.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$242 ₱15.2K

242.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$157 ₱9,895

295.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$475 ₱29.9K

235.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$302 ₱19.0K

288.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,296 ₱144.5K

154.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$886 ₱55.8K

338.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.75

-4.44%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$157 25.1% 74.7% $465

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$156 24.9% 39.6% $102

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$52 8.2% 76.9% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$126 20.2% 42% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$80 12.7% 52.5% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$42 6.7% 51.5% $44

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3% 67.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $242 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. 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 $8.00 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $156 – making Santa Cruz, Laguna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

123,574

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Santa Cruz, Laguna 9,740 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Santa Cruz, Laguna

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, Laguna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 158%, 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 $940 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 146% less in Santa Cruz, Laguna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $134 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. 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, Laguna, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Santa Cruz, Laguna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Cruz, Laguna – 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, Laguna. 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.