Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chimaltenango and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Chimaltenango: $745 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Chimaltenango
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Chimaltenango Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Chimaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $745 per month in Chimaltenango vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Chimaltenango $745
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,229 per month in Chimaltenango vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Chimaltenango $1,229
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,712 per month in Chimaltenango vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Chimaltenango $1,712
Budapest $3,489

Chimaltenango is about 54% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Chimaltenango sits 44% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.92 Q 52.9

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-50.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.80 Q 381

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-17.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.69 Q 58.8

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-22.79%

Cappuccino

$3.36 Q 25.67

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-0.59%

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

$1.16 Q 8.88

$2.13 Ft 692

-45.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 Q 7.10

$1.87 Ft 608

-50.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 Q 24.36

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-14.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.85 Q 37.04

$3.57 Ft 1,162

35.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 Q 15.30

$1.13 Ft 368

76.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 Q 23.94

$1.84 Ft 599

70.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 Q 15.96

$2.39 Ft 777

-12.55%

Eggs

$2.56 Q 19.59

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-33.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.46 Q 49.37

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-42.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 Q 72.1

$6.74 Ft 2,192

40.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 Q 103

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-8.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 Q 30.54

$1.84 Ft 597

117.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 Q 12.66

$2.01 Ft 653

-17.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 Q 21.56

$2.36 Ft 767

19.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 Q 12.70

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-55.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 Q 11.27

$0.96 Ft 313

54.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 Q 16.08

$1.03 Ft 334

103.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 Q 5.17

$1.56 Ft 509

-56.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 Q 8.78

$0.66 Ft 216

74.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 Q 30.48

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-49.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.36 Q 63.9

$6.01 Ft 1,954

39.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 Q 13.36

$1.30 Ft 421

34.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 Q 20.49

$2.08 Ft 676

28.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 Q 40.28

$3.30 Ft 1,074

59.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.27 Q 78.5

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-48.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 Q 9.28

$1.81 Ft 591

-33.15%

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

$27.9K Q 213.3K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-4.83%

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

$25.3K Q 193.1K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-25.90%

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

$72.4 Q 553

$170 Ft 55.3K

-57.40%

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

$29.30 Q 224

$23.98 Ft 7,802

22.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.04 Q 359

$23.42 Ft 7,621

100.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 Q 48.43

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-33.40%

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

$338 Q 2,583

$537 Ft 174.6K

-37.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,593 Q 50.4K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-60.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.38 Q 377

$101 Ft 33.0K

-51.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.63 Q 364

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

10.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 Q 889

$113 Ft 36.7K

3.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 Q 873

$119 Ft 38.6K

-3.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

6.43

80.72%

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

Last update for Chimaltenango: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chimaltenango

$282 37.7%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 8.8% $25

Eating Out

Chimaltenango

$153 20.4%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 46.8% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chimaltenango

$149 19.9%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 46.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Chimaltenango

$147 19.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 14.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Chimaltenango

$13 * 1.7%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 573% $73

Getting Around

Chimaltenango

$5.3 * 0.7%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 724% $38

Accommodation & Living

Chimaltenango

- * 0%

Budapest

$629 38.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Chimaltenango versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $282 in Chimaltenango vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Chimaltenango

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:53 10:53 PM

06:53 6:53 AM

8 h ahead of Chimaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,900

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.57 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

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).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chimaltenango Budapest 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chimaltenango
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

Chimaltenango vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,117 per month in Chimaltenango and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Chimaltenango and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chimaltenango, where all-in costs run around $745, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Chimaltenango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chimaltenango – 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 Chimaltenango. 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.