Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Zihuatanejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,131 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
Learn more

Zihuatanejo Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Zihuatanejo

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,131 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Zihuatanejo $1,131

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,824 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Zihuatanejo $1,824

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,517 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Zihuatanejo $2,517

Budapest costs about 45% more than Zihuatanejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Zihuatanejo is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,582

$10.86 MX$203

29.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.9K

$44.16 MX$827

37.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,385

$8.74 MX$164

18.65%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,129

$3.48 MX$65.2

-0.57%

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

$2.07 Ft 676

$1.36 MX$25.45

52.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 578

$1.02 MX$19.08

73.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,203

$2.45 MX$45.89

50.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,241

$3.98 MX$74.4

-4.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 378

$1.66 MX$31.05

-30.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 604

$2.55 MX$47.69

-27.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 784

$1.65 MX$30.90

45.45%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,302

$2.44 MX$45.61

63.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,721

$8.11 MX$152

40.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,243

$8.52 MX$159

-19.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,730

$11.56 MX$216

25.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 613

$2.72 MX$51.0

-30.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 700

$1.56 MX$29.27

37.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 752

$1.94 MX$36.39

18.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,317

$1.77 MX$33.10

128.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 333

$1.94 MX$36.24

-47.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 323

$1.88 MX$35.15

-47.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 515

$1.43 MX$26.71

10.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 227

$1.09 MX$20.47

-35.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,620

$4.28 MX$80.1

87.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 2,017

$10.27 MX$192

-39.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 405

$1.82 MX$34.04

-31.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 673

$3.06 MX$57.3

-32.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 518

$0.68 MX$12.77

133.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,983

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,121

$2.61 MX$48.93

31.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 435

$2.02 MX$37.88

-34.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,674

$11.18 MX$209

82.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 631

$1.44 MX$26.93

34.03%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.5M

$21.3K MX$398.4K

36.88%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.3M

$23.9K MX$447.0K

45.42%

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

$175 Ft 57.0K

$57.3 MX$1,072

204.91%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,708

$23.00 MX$431

2.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,702

$29.80 MX$558

-20.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.5K

$34.76 MX$651

98.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,287

$20.02 MX$375

-3.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,366

$5.14 MX$96.2

100.58%

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

$535 Ft 174.7K

$216 MX$4,041

147.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$4,526 MX$84.7K

272.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.6K

$55.5 MX$1,038

79.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.1K

$40.25 MX$753

7.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.5K

$98.5 MX$1,844

13.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.8K

$90.0 MX$1,684

32.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 271.5K

$596 MX$11.1K

39.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 205.3K

$384 MX$7,182

63.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 517.6K

$1,053 MX$19.7K

50.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 390.5K

$759 MX$14.2K

57.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.9M

$1,915 MX$35.8K

198.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,149 MX$21.5K

243.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 558.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

11.3

-42.92%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Zihuatanejo

$384 34% 39% $246

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3% 0.8% $2

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3% 18.4% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7% 50.4% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3% 24% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Zihuatanejo

$45 4% 49.7% $44

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4% 64.8% $29

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 $596 in Zihuatanejo. 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 in Budapest versus $44 in Zihuatanejo. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Budapest vs $264 in Zihuatanejo – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

7 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

67,408

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Zihuatanejo 10,670 km ≈ 14 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 Zihuatanejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,696 in Zihuatanejo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zihuatanejo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $596 there versus $832 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $44 in Zihuatanejo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $216 in Zihuatanejo. 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 Zihuatanejo, where all-in costs run around $1,131, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Zihuatanejo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zihuatanejo – 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.