Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Serra

For one person, living is cheaper in Serra: $889 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Serra
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Serra Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Serra

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $889 in Serra, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Serra $889

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,317 in Serra, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Serra $1,317

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,744 in Serra, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Serra $1,744

Budapest costs about 82% more than Serra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Serra is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$4.77 R$24.16

192.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$22.99 R$117

166.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$8.20 R$41.58

24.27%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.09 R$10.57

55.98%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.34 R$6.77

59.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.62 R$3.15

187.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.95 R$9.88

90.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.06 R$15.53

23.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.13 R$5.70

1.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.80 R$9.13

-0.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.17 R$5.95

112.82%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.14 R$10.87

82.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.49 R$53.2

5.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.58 R$23.22

44.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.54 R$43.27

72.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.87 R$14.53

-36.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.53 R$7.74

33.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.83 R$9.28

29.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.62 R$8.20

140.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.18 R$5.96

-16.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.11 R$5.65

-9.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.34 R$6.78

17.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.39 R$7.03

-51.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.49 R$12.62

219.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.64 R$28.59

10.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.98 R$4.98

29.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.27 R$16.59

-37.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.97 R$4.93

56.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$47.18 R$239

-40.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.31 R$6.66

152.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.13 R$5.72

21.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.89 R$34.95

187.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.08 R$5.49

68.52%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$23.5K R$119.2K

26.72%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$33.8K R$171.1K

0.16%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$158 R$803

8.02%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$12.30 R$62.4

91.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$21.05 R$107

10.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$25.83 R$131

161.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$27.87 R$141

-32.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.49 R$37.95

24.17%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$188 R$955

183.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,726 R$34.1K

149.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$55.0 R$279

81.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$51.1 R$259

-14.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$91.1 R$462

21.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$74.3 R$377

60.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$251 R$1,271

231.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$153 R$774

307.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$446 R$2,261

257.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$220 R$1,117

431.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$970 R$4,917

501.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$563 R$2,852

591.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$559 R$2,833

195.45%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Serra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Serra

$153 17.2% 75.5% $469

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Serra

$212 23.8% 17.9% $46

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Serra

$111 12.5% 50% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Serra

$192 21.6% 12% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Serra

$122 13.8% 27.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Serra

$41 4.6% 52.6% $45

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Serra

$58 6.5% 31.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $251 in Serra. 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 195% 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 $23.00 in Serra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $212 – making Serra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇷 Serra

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

04:04 4:04 AM

5 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

520,653

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

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Between locations

Budapest Serra 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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 Serra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 82%, 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 $1,333 in Serra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 68% less in Serra. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $188 in Serra. 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 Serra, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Serra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Serra – 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 Serra. 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.