Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,428 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Cancun vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Cancun $1,428
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,290 per month in Cancun vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Cancun $2,290
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,152 per month in Cancun vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Cancun $3,152
Budapest $3,489

Cancun is about 12% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cancun and Budapest sit above the global median – Cancun by 7%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.15 MX$203

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-20.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.6 MX$993

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-9.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 MX$206

$9.96 Ft 3,244

13.45%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$70.3

$3.38 Ft 1,102

14.20%

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

$1.38 MX$25.03

$2.13 Ft 693

-35.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.62

$1.87 Ft 609

-57.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$56.0

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-17.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$79.1

$3.57 Ft 1,163

21.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$29.66

$1.13 Ft 369

44.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 MX$49.35

$1.84 Ft 600

47.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$29.99

$2.39 Ft 777

-30.96%

Eggs

$2.72 MX$49.55

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-28.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MX$181

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-12.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.80 MX$160

$6.74 Ft 2,194

30.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 MX$252

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-5.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 MX$51.5

$1.84 Ft 598

53.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.38

$2.01 Ft 654

-16.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 MX$58.2

$2.36 Ft 767

35.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.37

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-42.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$36.93

$0.96 Ft 314

111.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$34.63

$1.03 Ft 335

84.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$20.92

$1.56 Ft 509

-26.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.26

$0.66 Ft 216

84.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MX$82.0

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-43.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$182

$6.01 Ft 1,956

66.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 MX$28.34

$1.30 Ft 422

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 MX$49.67

$2.08 Ft 677

31.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.71

$1.50 Ft 490

-57.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.64 MX$521

$27.61 Ft 8,991

3.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 MX$81.8

$3.30 Ft 1,075

36.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 MX$54.2

$1.30 Ft 424

129.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.62 MX$248

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-31.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.58

$1.81 Ft 591

-16.02%

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

$21.0K MX$382.2K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-28.35%

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

$24.5K MX$445.5K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-28.19%

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

$172 MX$3,137

$170 Ft 55.3K

1.48%

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

$23.50 MX$427

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-2.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.97 MX$691

$23.42 Ft 7,628

62.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.57 MX$611

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-49.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.50 MX$246

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-29.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 MX$133

$9.52 Ft 3,101

-23.00%

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

$205 MX$3,725

$537 Ft 174.8K

-61.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,468 MX$99.5K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-67.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 MX$998

$101 Ft 33.0K

-45.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 MX$996

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

27.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 MX$1,399

$113 Ft 36.7K

-31.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 MX$1,716

$119 Ft 38.7K

-20.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 MX$12.2K

$805 Ft 262.2K

-16.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 MX$8,440

$629 Ft 204.9K

-26.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 MX$25.0K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-11.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$19.6K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-7.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,281 MX$23.3K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-77.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,985 MX$36.1K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-49.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$819 MX$14.9K

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-49.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.43

78.07%

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

Last update for Cancun: 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

Cancun

$464 32.9%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 35.6% $165

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.3%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 10.1% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$234 16.6%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 7.1% $17

Eating Out

Cancun

$202 14.3%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 10.9% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$126 9%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 33.8% $43

Getting Around

Cancun

$51 3.6%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 14.2% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$48 3.4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 76.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $672 in Cancun 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 99% 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 $55.0 in Cancun versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Cancun vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

03:08 3:08 AM

7 h ahead of Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cancun Budapest 9,410 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
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

Cancun vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,141 per month in Cancun and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 4% less in Cancun. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $205 per month in Cancun and $537 in Budapest. 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 Cancun, where all-in costs run around $1,428, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Cancun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cancun – 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 Cancun. 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.