Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cascais and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,157 in Cascais, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Cascais
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Cascais Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Cascais

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,157

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,157 per month in Cascais vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Cascais $2,157
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,481 per month in Cascais vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Cascais $3,481
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,805 per month in Cascais vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Cascais $4,805
Budapest $3,429

Cascais costs about 33% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cascais and Budapest sit above the global median – Cascais by 60%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.31 €13.62

$13.94 Ft 4,503

9.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.46 €39.55

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-27.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 €8.24

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-9.13%

Cappuccino

$2.59 €2.30

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-20.55%

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

$2.04 €1.81

$2.14 Ft 690

-4.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.78 Ft 577

23.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.93

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-11.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.05

$3.77 Ft 1,217

50.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.15 Ft 371

13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.79 Ft 578

24.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.49 Ft 804

-34.94%

Eggs

$3.44 €3.06

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-11.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 €9.51

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-3.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 €6.10

$6.62 Ft 2,139

3.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 €13.51

$14.69 Ft 4,745

3.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$1.83 Ft 591

50.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.05 Ft 661

-28.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.37 Ft 765

3.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-44.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$0.99 Ft 320

62.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.00 Ft 322

136.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.58 Ft 511

3.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.67 Ft 216

59.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 €5.08

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-28.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.58 €6.74

$6.22 Ft 2,009

21.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.27 Ft 411

-2.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.90

$2.03 Ft 654

116.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.52 Ft 490

62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.24 €39.35

$28.02 Ft 9,053

57.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-31.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.82 Ft 589

15.93%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

13.32%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

12.45%

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

$133 €119

$171 Ft 55.3K

-22.10%

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

$24.80 €22.06

$23.51 Ft 7,596

5.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 €49.83

$23.29 Ft 7,526

140.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.8 €59.4

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-1.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.32 €10.06

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-40.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 €6.29

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-23.98%

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

$719 €639

$533 Ft 172.3K

34.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K €16.3K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

9.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.9 €70.2

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-20.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.31 €34.08

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-11.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$110 Ft 35.7K

-5.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$119 Ft 38.4K

11.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 €1,568

$830 Ft 268.3K

112.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 €1,023

$622 Ft 200.9K

84.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,833 €3,409

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

140.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,606 €2,318

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

122.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,815 €6,062

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

16.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,833 €4,299

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

24.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,264 €2,014

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

37.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

6.45

-43.10%

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

Last update for Cascais: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cascais

$1.1K 53.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 45.9% $528

Groceries & Markets

Cascais

$270 12.5%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 4.4% $12

Eating Out

Cascais

$226 10.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 1.4% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cascais

$214 9.9%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 1.8% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Cascais

$160 7.4%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 4.9% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Cascais

$81 3.8%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 6.5% $5.2

Getting Around

Cascais

$56 * 2.6%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 21.6% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,763 in Cascais 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 37% higher in Cascais, 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 $44.00 in Cascais versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $270 in Cascais vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Cascais

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

1 h ahead of Cascais

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,158

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cascais Budapest 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cascais
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

Cascais vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cascais is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,235 per month in Cascais 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 Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $719 per month in Cascais and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Cascais at $2,157. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cascais it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cascais makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.