Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $595 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Calama
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Calama Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$595

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calama and in Budapest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Calama and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $595 per month in Calama vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Calama $595
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,203 per month in Calama vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Calama $1,203
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,812 per month in Calama vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Calama $1,812
Budapest $3,429

Calama is about 63% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Calama sits 56% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 CLP 6,841

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-50.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.49 CLP 31.0K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-48.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

Cappuccino

$2.05 CLP 2,018

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-37.12%

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

$0.93 CLP 916

$2.14 Ft 690

-56.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 CLP 929

$1.78 Ft 577

-47.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 CLP 3,074

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-15.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 CLP 5,149

$3.77 Ft 1,217

38.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 CLP 1,087

$1.15 Ft 371

-4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 CLP 825

$1.79 Ft 578

-53.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 CLP 2,575

$2.49 Ft 804

5.22%

Eggs

$4.95 CLP 4,876

$3.90 Ft 1,261

26.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.36 CLP 9,217

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-15.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.22 CLP 6,119

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-6.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.53 CLP 7,413

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-48.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 CLP 1,242

$1.83 Ft 591

-31.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 CLP 1,029

$2.05 Ft 661

-48.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 CLP 1,523

$2.37 Ft 765

-34.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,081

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-71.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 CLP 884

$0.99 Ft 320

-9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 CLP 916

$1.00 Ft 322

-7.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.25 CLP 5,170

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-34.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.19 CLP 4,128

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-32.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 CLP 990

$1.27 Ft 411

-20.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 CLP 1,235

$2.03 Ft 654

-38.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 CLP 931

$1.52 Ft 490

-37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 CLP 1,412

$1.37 Ft 442

4.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 CLP 1,415

$1.82 Ft 589

-20.88%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

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

$40.05 CLP 39.4K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-76.60%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.28 CLP 13.1K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-42.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-23.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.74 CLP 20.4K

$18.89 Ft 6,104

9.79%

Cinema Ticket

$4.69 CLP 4,617

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-49.57%

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

$306 CLP 301.6K

$533 Ft 172.3K

-42.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.08 CLP 35.5K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-63.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 CLP 27.9K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-34.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.82 CLP 45.1K

$110 Ft 35.7K

-58.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.8 CLP 60.9K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-48.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 CLP 322.3K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-60.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$102 CLP 100.6K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-83.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 CLP 794.0K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-49.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$608 CLP 599.0K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-48.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 CLP 1.4M

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-75.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 CLP 1.2M

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-68.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,110 CLP 1.1M

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-32.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-22.48%

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

Last update for Calama: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Calama

$176 * 29.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 46.4% $82

Eating Out

Calama

$114 * 19.1%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 96% $109

Accommodation & Living

Calama

$102 17.2%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 509% $520

Clothing & Footwear

Calama

$77 13%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 116% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Calama

$61 10.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 40.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calama

$53 * 9%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 309% $165

Getting Around

Calama

$11 * 1.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 304% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $327 in Calama versus $830 in Budapest. 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 49% 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 $31.00 in Calama versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $258 – making Calama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Calama

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

5 h ahead of Calama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,575

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Calama Budapest 11,680 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Calama
Budapest

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

Calama vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 172%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $893 per month in Calama and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calama, 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 $31.00 in Calama and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% 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 Calama, where all-in costs run around $595, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Calama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calama – 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 Calama. 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.