Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Sao Joao da Madeira

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Madeira: $1,510 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Budapest despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Madeira
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Sao Joao da Madeira Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Sao Joao da Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Sao Joao da Madeira

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 Sao Joao da Madeira actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Sao Joao da Madeira $1,510

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,107 in Sao Joao da Madeira, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Sao Joao da Madeira $2,107

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,704 in Sao Joao da Madeira, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Sao Joao da Madeira $2,704

Budapest costs about 7% more than Sao Joao da Madeira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Sao Joao da Madeira sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Sao Joao da Madeira by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$10.06 €8.95

38.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$19.79 €17.60

209.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.85 €6.98

29.81%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.14 €1.01

185.96%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.09 €0.97

96.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.97 €0.87

83.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.32 €2.95

11.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.17 €1.93

73.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.85 €0.75

35.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.32 €0.28

459.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.14 €1.01

118.42%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.68 €2.39

45.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$8.58 €7.63

29.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.52 €4.91

19.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$6.51 €5.79

125.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.03 €1.81

-9.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.35 €1.20

51.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.83 €1.63

29.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.85 €2.54

36.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.97 €1.75

-49.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.88 €1.67

-46.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.24 €1.10

27.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.98 €0.87

-31.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.28 €5.59

26.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.53 €4.03

37.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.21 €1.07

4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.63 €1.45

24.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.24 €1.99

-32.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$39.68 €35.29

-29.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.33 €3.85

-23.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.78 €1.58

-23.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$16.67 €14.83

18.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.90 €1.69

-4.21%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$33.1K €29.4K

-9.92%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$37.7K €33.5K

-10.22%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$110 €97.7

55.82%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$16.96 €15.08

38.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$46.09 €40.99

-49.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$37.59 €33.44

79.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$15.09 €13.42

25.18%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.44 €4.84

70.96%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$341 €303

56.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$10.0K €8,932

66.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$65.5 €58.3

52.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$37.57 €33.42

15.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$82.7 €73.5

33.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$98.5 €87.6

20.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$957 €851

-13.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$768 €683

-19.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,517 €1,349

5.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,164 €1,035

0.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,957 €2,631

97.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,267 €2,017

71.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,048 €932

57.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.55

81.69%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sao Joao da Madeira: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$768 50.8% 23.5% $146

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$184 12.2% 28.6% $74

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$147 9.7% 34.1% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$173 11.5% 20.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$128 8.5% 23.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$48 3.2% 43.7% $38

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$62 4.1% 39.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira. 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 58% 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 $20.00 in Sao Joao da Madeira. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $184 – making Sao Joao da Madeira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇹 Sao Joao da Madeira

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

21:30 9:30 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

22,144

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Sao Joao da Madeira 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Budapest
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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 Sao Joao da Madeira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 7%, 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 $2,265 in Sao Joao da Madeira. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 42% less in Sao Joao da Madeira. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $341 in Sao Joao da Madeira. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Joao da Madeira, where all-in costs run around $1,510, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Sao Joao da Madeira it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sao Joao da Madeira – 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 Sao Joao da Madeira. 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.