Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Vigan

For one person, living is cheaper in Vigan: $718 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Vigan
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Vigan Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Vigan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Vigan

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $718 in Vigan, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Vigan $718

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,125 in Vigan, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Vigan $1,125

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,533 in Vigan, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Vigan $1,533

Budapest costs about 126% more than Vigan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Vigan is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.89 ₱245

258.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$16.49 ₱1,038

271.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$1.77 ₱112

475.71%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.84 ₱116

77.17%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.55 ₱34.93

289.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.33 ₱20.81

439.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.98 ₱62.0

278.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.55 ₱97.8

143.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.67 ₱105

-31.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.13 ₱71.0

58.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.95 ₱60.0

162.11%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.01 ₱126

94.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$5.13 ₱323

116.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.44 ₱216

92.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$7.91 ₱498

85.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.30 ₱145

-20.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.54 ₱96.9

33.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.35 ₱148

0.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.03 ₱64.8

278.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.74 ₱109

-43.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.72 ₱108

-41.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.61 ₱38.63

159.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.53 ₱33.07

26.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.93 ₱184

171.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$8.74 ₱550

-28.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.98 ₱61.5

29.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.06 ₱129

-1.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.24 ₱15.21

533.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$10.80 ₱680

159.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.82 ₱51.5

303.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.23 ₱14.46

495.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$1.92 ₱121

932.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.27 ₱79.7

43.31%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

38.56%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$19.6K ₱1.2M

72.31%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$139 ₱8,723

23.50%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$17.81 ₱1,121

32.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$23.55 ₱1,483

-1.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$33.22 ₱2,091

103.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$5.06 ₱319

273.32%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.10 ₱321

82.35%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$131 ₱8,268

306.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$10.6K ₱668.5K

57.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$28.39 ₱1,787

250.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$19.84 ₱1,249

119.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$72.3 ₱4,555

52.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$56.0 ₱3,526

112.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$228 ₱14.4K

263.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$156 ₱9,812

299.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$525 ₱33.0K

203.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$405 ₱25.5K

188.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,466 ₱155.2K

136.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,003 ₱63.1K

287.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.75

-4.44%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Vigan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Vigan

$156 21.7% 74.9% $466

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Vigan

$175 24.4% 32% $83

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Vigan

$70 9.8% 68.5% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Vigan

$180 25.1% 17.4% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Vigan

$79 11.1% 52.6% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Vigan

$43 6.1% 49.6% $43

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Vigan

$14 1.9% 69% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $228 in Vigan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $16.00 in Vigan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $175 – making Vigan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇭 Vigan

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

11:15 11:15 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

53,879

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Vigan 9,400 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 Vigan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 126%, 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 $1,077 in Vigan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 159% less in Vigan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $131 in Vigan. 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 Vigan, where all-in costs run around $718, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Vigan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Vigan – 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 Vigan. 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.