Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Sao Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $834 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
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Sao Luis Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Sao Luis

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $834 in Sao Luis, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Sao Luis $834

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,310 in Sao Luis, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Sao Luis $1,310

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,786 in Sao Luis, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Sao Luis $1,786

Budapest costs about 94% more than Sao Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Sao Luis is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$6.60 R$32.93

111.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$39.74 R$198

51.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$6.82 R$34.03

46.04%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.15 R$10.71

57.21%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$1.27 R$6.33

67.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.73 R$3.65

156.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$1.96 R$9.77

91.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$2.44 R$12.16

46.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.11 R$5.52

1.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.93 R$9.64

-4.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.11 R$5.54

115.32%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.27 R$11.31

68.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$10.14 R$50.6

11.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$4.28 R$21.36

57.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$7.64 R$38.12

92.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$2.11 R$10.55

-12.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.39 R$6.95

44.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.22 R$6.09

93.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.73 R$8.64

117.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.33 R$6.64

-27.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.34 R$6.67

-23.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.90 R$4.47

73.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.73 R$3.62

-9.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$2.44 R$12.17

226.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$8.21 R$41.00

-26.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.27 R$6.36

2.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.32 R$11.60

-10.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.85 R$4.27

76.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$38.52 R$192

-28.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$1.03 R$5.12

220.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.94 R$4.70

38.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.21 R$6.05

49.59%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$24.2K R$120.6K

21.37%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$30.4K R$151.5K

12.35%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$97.5 R$487

74.37%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$18.02 R$90.0

33.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$21.42 R$107

9.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$20.11 R$100

229.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$15.27 R$76.2

25.61%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$6.84 R$34.14

39.18%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$183 R$915

192.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$2,911 R$14.5K

470.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$64.7 R$323

56.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$54.6 R$273

-21.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$75.1 R$375

50.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$59.0 R$294

101.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$363 R$1,812

121.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$187 R$935

235.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$580 R$2,893

167.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$330 R$1,648

253.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,575 R$7,864

256.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$721 R$3,598

450.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$386 R$1,929

320.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sao Luis: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Sao Luis

$187 22.3% 70.2% $442

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Sao Luis

$197 23.6% 23.4% $60

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Sao Luis

$122 14.5% 45.8% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Sao Luis

$137 16.3% 37% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Sao Luis

$114 13.6% 32.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Sao Luis

$34 4% 60.4% $51

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Sao Luis

$48 5.7% 9.8% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $363 in Sao Luis. 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 321% 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 $40.00 in Sao Luis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $197 – making Sao Luis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

05:49 5:49 AM

5 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,037,775

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Sao Luis 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Sao Luis

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 Luis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 94%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,251 in Sao Luis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 40% less in Sao Luis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $183 in Sao Luis. 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 Sao Luis, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Sao Luis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sao Luis – 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 Luis. 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.