Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castro and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Castro: $875 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Castro
Learn more

Castro Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Castro

🇨🇱 Chile

$875

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $875 per month in Castro vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Castro $875
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,381 per month in Castro vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Castro $1,381
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,887 per month in Castro vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Castro $1,887
Budapest $3,429

Castro is about 46% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Castro sits 35% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.29 CLP 8,163

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-40.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.10 CLP 45.4K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-24.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.66 CLP 5,568

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-44.46%

Cappuccino

$1.49 CLP 1,464

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-54.29%

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

$1.20 CLP 1,181

$2.14 Ft 690

-43.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 CLP 990

$1.78 Ft 577

-43.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 CLP 5,066

$3.71 Ft 1,198

38.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CLP 7,173

$3.77 Ft 1,217

93.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 CLP 1,065

$1.15 Ft 371

-6.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 CLP 3,451

$1.79 Ft 578

96.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 CLP 1,232

$2.49 Ft 804

-49.80%

Eggs

$4.12 CLP 4,056

$3.90 Ft 1,261

5.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 CLP 9,523

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-12.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 CLP 3,965

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-39.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.49 CLP 8,358

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-42.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 CLP 1,373

$1.83 Ft 591

-23.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CLP 2,268

$2.05 Ft 661

12.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 CLP 1,461

$2.37 Ft 765

-37.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 CLP 1,947

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-49.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 CLP 1,109

$0.99 Ft 320

14.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 CLP 1,494

$1.58 Ft 511

-3.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CLP 1,531

$0.67 Ft 216

132.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 CLP 3,688

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-52.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 CLP 7,662

$6.22 Ft 2,009

25.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 CLP 987

$1.27 Ft 411

-21.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CLP 3,085

$2.03 Ft 654

54.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 CLP 654

$1.52 Ft 490

-56.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 CLP 1,282

$1.82 Ft 589

-28.57%

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

$15.5K CLP 15.2M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-48.12%

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

$18.2K CLP 17.9M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-46.11%

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

$131 CLP 128.8K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-23.53%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.25 CLP 30.8K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

34.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 CLP 79.7K

$110 Ft 35.7K

-26.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$355 CLP 349.2K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-57.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 CLP 285.5K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-53.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 CLP 986.6K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-37.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$576 CLP 566.8K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-50.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$614 CLP 604.7K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-62.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.53%

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

Last update for Castro: 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

Castro

$290 33.2%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 114% $332

Groceries & Markets

Castro

$234 * 26.7%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 10.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castro

$162 * 18.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 34.4% $56

Eating Out

Castro

$150 17.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 48.4% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Castro

$36 * 4.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 360% $131

Getting Around

Castro

$2.7 * 0.3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 1563% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Castro

- * 0%

Budapest

$86 5.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $355 in Castro 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 169% 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 $46.00 in Castro versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $258 – making Castro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Castro

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

04:22 4:22 AM

5 h ahead of Castro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,417

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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Castro Budapest 13,510 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Castro
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

Castro vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,313 per month in Castro 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 Castro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Castro and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Castro, where all-in costs run around $875, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Castro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Castro – 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 Castro. 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.