Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Santarem

For one person, living is cheaper in Santarem: $1,300 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Santarem
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Santarem Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Santarem

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Santarem

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,300 in Santarem, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Santarem $1,300

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,014 in Santarem, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Santarem $2,014

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,729 in Santarem, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Santarem $2,729

Budapest costs about 25% more than Santarem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Santarem is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$12.30 €10.94

13.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$39.39 €35.04

55.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$8.99 €8.00

13.35%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.71 €1.52

90.64%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.78 €1.59

20.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.15 €1.03

54.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.17 €1.93

70.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.39 €3.02

11.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.14 €1.01

0.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.46 €0.41

289.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.09 €0.97

128.44%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.27 €2.91

19.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$11.05 €9.83

0.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.14 €6.35

-7.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$13.42 €11.93

9.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.81 €2.50

-34.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.36 €1.21

50.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.50 €2.23

-5.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.12 €1.88

83.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.40 €1.25

-29.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.55 €1.38

-35.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.10 €0.97

43.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.31 €0.28

116.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.62 €5.00

41.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.78 €5.14

7.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.22 €1.09

4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.57 €3.17

-43.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.25 €2.00

-32.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$56.4 €50.2

-50.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.53 €3.14

-6.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.04 €1.82

-10.78%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$33.8K €30.1K

-11.83%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$38.4K €34.1K

-11.87%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$130 €116

31.58%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$20.74 €18.45

13.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$56.0 €49.81

-58.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$37.97 €33.78

77.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.65 €5.91

39.85%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$416 €370

28.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$18.4K €16.4K

-9.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$78.0 €69.3

27.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$37.74 €33.57

15.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$107 €95.6

2.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$132 €117

-9.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$656 €584

26.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$412 €366

50.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,042 €927

52.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$810 €720

44.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,167 €1,927

169.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,103 €981

252.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,068 €950

54.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.76

35.50%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Santarem: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Santarem

$412 31.7% 33.8% $210

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Santarem

$226 17.4% 12.5% $32

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Santarem

$175 13.5% 21.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Santarem

$207 15.9% 5.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Santarem

$160 12.3% 4.6% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Santarem

$51 4% 40.5% $35

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Santarem

$69 * 5.3% 55.8% $25

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 $656 in Santarem. 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 55% 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 $39.00 in Santarem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $226 – making Santarem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇹 Santarem

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

02:04 2:04 AM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

58,671

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Santarem 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Santarem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 25%, 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 $1,949 in Santarem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 101% less in Santarem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $416 in Santarem. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Santarem, where all-in costs run around $1,300, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Santarem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santarem – 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 Santarem. 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.