Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Toluca

For one person, living is cheaper in Toluca: $1,098 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Toluca
Learn more

Toluca Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Toluca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,098

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Toluca

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,098 in Toluca, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Toluca $1,098

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,844 in Toluca, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Toluca $1,844

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,589 in Toluca, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Toluca $2,589

Budapest costs about 49% more than Toluca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Toluca is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$11.03 MX$204

27.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$42.85 MX$792

42.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$9.09 MX$168

14.08%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$3.14 MX$58.0

10.19%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.26 MX$23.24

64.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.76 MX$13.97

132.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$2.14 MX$39.49

72.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$3.29 MX$60.8

15.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.77 MX$32.71

-34.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$3.12 MX$57.7

-40.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$2.18 MX$40.28

10.09%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$3.05 MX$56.3

30.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$7.94 MX$147

43.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$8.36 MX$155

-17.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$8.91 MX$165

62.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$4.08 MX$75.3

-53.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$2.11 MX$39.00

1.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$2.22 MX$41.07

3.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.28 MX$42.16

77.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$2.82 MX$52.2

-63.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.30 MX$42.58

-56.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.64 MX$30.26

-3.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$1.03 MX$19.07

-32.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$4.87 MX$90.0

64.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$12.25 MX$226

-49.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.99 MX$36.76

-37.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$3.65 MX$67.5

-43.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.75 MX$13.92

112.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$3.20 MX$59.0

7.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$2.01 MX$37.22

-33.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$10.17 MX$188

101.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.44 MX$26.66

34.03%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$24.6K MX$454.6K

18.45%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$23.5K MX$433.9K

47.89%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$58.1 MX$1,074

200.45%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$25.04 MX$463

-5.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$31.71 MX$586

-25.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$48.08 MX$889

43.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$22.66 MX$419

-15.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$6.95 MX$128

48.35%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$224 MX$4,131

139.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,244 MX$96.9K

221.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$66.7 MX$1,233

49.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$53.7 MX$992

-19.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$104 MX$1,920

7.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$104 MX$1,923

14.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$705 MX$13.0K

18.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$289 MX$5,345

117.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$972 MX$18.0K

63.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$703 MX$13.0K

70.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$1,296 MX$24.0K

341.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$915 MX$16.9K

331.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$1,273 MX$23.5K

34.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

11.07

-41.73%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Toluca: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Toluca

$289 26.3% 54% $340

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Toluca

$289 26.4% 10.5% $28

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Toluca

$178 16.3% 21.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Toluca

$115 10.5% 48.2% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Toluca

$148 13.5% 12.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Toluca

$62 5.7% 30.7% $27

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Toluca

$16 * 1.5% 63% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $705 in Toluca. 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 35% 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 $43.00 in Toluca. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Budapest vs $289 in Toluca – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇽 Toluca

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

18:44 6:44 PM

8 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

223,876

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Toluca 10,410 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Toluca

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 Toluca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,647 in Toluca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $43.00 in Toluca. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Toluca, where all-in costs run around $1,098, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Toluca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Toluca – 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 Toluca. 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.