Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Tulum

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulum: $1,252 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
Learn more

Tulum Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,252

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Tulum

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,252 in Tulum, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Tulum $1,252

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,131 in Tulum, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Tulum $2,131

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,010 in Tulum, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Tulum $3,010

Budapest costs about 29% more than Tulum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Tulum is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$8.26 MX$150

69.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$56.4 MX$1,026

7.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$8.13 MX$148

22.51%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$3.87 MX$70.4

-12.66%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$1.14 MX$20.80

86.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$1.18 MX$21.42

58.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$2.94 MX$53.5

27.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$3.80 MX$69.1

-6.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.58 MX$28.75

-28.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$2.00 MX$36.31

-8.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.74 MX$31.71

37.36%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$1.89 MX$34.29

102.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$5.55 MX$101

104.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$7.93 MX$144

-15.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$9.09 MX$165

61.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$2.66 MX$48.31

-30.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.42 MX$25.75

41.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.52 MX$27.67

55.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$1.50 MX$27.34

151.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$2.28 MX$41.45

-57.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$1.86 MX$33.77

-44.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.51 MX$27.40

3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.83 MX$15.11

-20.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$4.39 MX$79.9

81.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$8.35 MX$152

-28.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.39 MX$25.31

-6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$1.32 MX$24.00

57.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$1.40 MX$25.48

7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$2.81 MX$51.2

17.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$2.44 MX$44.47

-46.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$5.58 MX$102

254.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.52 MX$27.71

19.08%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$21.4K MX$389.2K

37.05%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$23.8K MX$433.0K

43.30%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$106 MX$1,927

60.40%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$16.87 MX$307

42.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$34.97 MX$636

-33.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$34.35 MX$625

92.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$6.45 MX$117

47.60%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$263 MX$4,776

104.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$3,022 MX$55.0K

449.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$42.26 MX$769

139.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$33.26 MX$605

29.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$97.4 MX$1,772

15.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$60.2 MX$1,095

97.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$614 MX$11.2K

31.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$539 MX$9,808

16.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$1,504 MX$27.4K

3.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$1,316 MX$23.9K

-11.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$3,162 MX$57.5K

77.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,818 MX$33.1K

118.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$784 MX$14.3K

107.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

10.8

-40.46%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Tulum: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Tulum

$539 42.8% 14.3% $90

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Tulum

$222 17.6% 13.8% $36

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Tulum

$169 13.4% 24.9% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Tulum

$158 12.5% 27.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Tulum

$105 8.3% 38% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Tulum

$47 3.8% 44.6% $38

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Tulum

$21 * 1.6% 52.5% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $614 in Tulum. 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 107% 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 $56.0 in Tulum. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $222 – making Tulum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇽 Tulum

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

23:51 11:51 PM

7 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

46,721

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Tulum 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Tulum

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 Tulum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,878 in Tulum. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tulum, 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 $60.0 in Budapest and $56.0 in Tulum. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tulum, where all-in costs run around $1,252, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Tulum it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tulum – 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 Tulum. 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.