Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caldas da Rainha and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Caldas da Rainha: $1,532 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Caldas da Rainha
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,532
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Caldas da Rainha 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 Caldas da Rainha and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,532 per month in Caldas da Rainha vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Caldas da Rainha $1,532
  • Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,352 per month in Caldas da Rainha vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Caldas da Rainha $2,352
  • Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,172 per month in Caldas da Rainha vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Caldas da Rainha $3,172
  • Budapest $3,489

Caldas da Rainha is about 6% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Caldas da Rainha and Budapest sit above the global median – Caldas da Rainha by 14%, Budapest by 21%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Caldas da Rainha
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.73 €14.03
$13.99 Ft 4,551
12.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.9 €45.38
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
-15.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.22 €9.12
$9.96 Ft 3,241
2.61%
Cappuccino
$2.05 €1.83
$3.38 Ft 1,100
-39.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 €2.10
$2.13 Ft 692
10.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 €1.26
$1.87 Ft 608
-24.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.78 €2.48
$3.75 Ft 1,221
-25.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.87 €3.46
$3.57 Ft 1,162
8.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Caldas da Rainha
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 €0.95
$1.13 Ft 368
-5.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 €1.28
$1.84 Ft 599
-21.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 €1.39
$2.39 Ft 777
-34.73%
Eggs
$3.01 €2.69
$3.83 Ft 1,245
-21.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.38 €9.26
$11.33 Ft 3,686
-8.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.26 €6.48
$6.74 Ft 2,192
7.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.81 €11.44
$14.69 Ft 4,780
-12.80%
Apples (1kg)
$1.87 €1.67
$1.84 Ft 597
1.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.33 €1.18
$2.01 Ft 653
-33.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.68 €1.50
$2.36 Ft 767
-28.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.46 €2.19
$3.77 Ft 1,226
-34.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.92 €1.71
$0.96 Ft 313
100.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.88 €1.68
$1.03 Ft 334
82.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 €1.15
$1.56 Ft 509
-17.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 €0.75
$0.66 Ft 216
27.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.74 €5.12
$7.96 Ft 2,591
-27.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.95 €3.53
$6.01 Ft 1,954
-34.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 €1.46
$1.30 Ft 421
26.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 €1.54
$2.08 Ft 676
-17.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Caldas da Rainha
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.67 €3.27
$1.50 Ft 489
144.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.14 €30.46
$27.61 Ft 8,982
23.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.83 €2.53
$3.30 Ft 1,074
-14.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.30 Ft 424
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$19.78 Ft 6,436
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.81 Ft 591
5.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.2K
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
15.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.7K €33.7K
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
10.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Caldas da Rainha
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$108 €96.0
$170 Ft 55.3K
-36.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.14 €16.19
$23.98 Ft 7,802
-24.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.70 €34.54
$23.42 Ft 7,621
65.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Caldas da Rainha
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.88 €43.62
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
-26.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.78 €24.79
$19.18 Ft 6,239
44.84%
Cinema Ticket
$8.78 €7.84
$9.52 Ft 3,098
-7.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Caldas da Rainha
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$399 €356
$537 Ft 174.6K
-25.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,537 €4,941
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
-66.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Caldas da Rainha
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$95.8 €85.5
$101 Ft 33.0K
-5.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.87 €38.26
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
-0.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 €100
$113 Ft 36.7K
-0.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.4 €61.1
$119 Ft 38.6K
-42.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Caldas da Rainha
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$891 €795
$805 Ft 262.0K
10.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 €599
$629 Ft 204.7K
6.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,401 €1,251
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
-9.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,122 €1,001
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
-3.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,845 €2,539
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
-49.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 €2,038
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
-42.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Caldas da Rainha
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,145 €1,022
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
-29.56%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.11
6.43
-51.63%

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

Last update for Caldas da Rainha: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Caldas da Rainha
$671
Budapest
$629 6.2% $42
Groceries & Markets
Caldas da Rainha
$230
Budapest
$258 12.1% $28
Eating Out
Caldas da Rainha
$218
Budapest
$224 3% $6.5
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Caldas da Rainha
$164
Budapest
$217 32.2% $53
Clothing & Footwear
Caldas da Rainha
$144
Budapest
$169 17.7% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Caldas da Rainha
$66
Budapest
$85 28.4% $19
Getting Around
Caldas da Rainha
$52 *
Budapest
$43 15.9% $8.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $891 in Caldas da Rainha versus $805 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 42% 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 $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $258 – making Caldas da Rainha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Caldas da Rainha
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
12:25 12:25 PM
13:25 1:25 PM
1 h ahead of Caldas da Rainha
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
50,917
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Caldas da Rainha Budapest 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Caldas da Rainha
  • 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
Caldas da Rainha vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Budapest cheaper than Caldas da Rainha?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,298 per month in Caldas da Rainha and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Caldas da Rainha, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 24% less in Caldas da Rainha. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $399 per month in Caldas da Rainha and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Caldas da Rainha or in Budapest?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Caldas da Rainha, where all-in costs run around $1,532, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Caldas da Rainha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Caldas da Rainha or Budapest more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Caldas da Rainha – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Caldas da Rainha or Budapest?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Caldas da Rainha. 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.

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