Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,735 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Costa Rica despite lower rent and utilities.

86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,735

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Costa Rica is 22.9% more expensive than Budapest without rent, and 7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 15.7% more expensive than Budapest without rent, and 5.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 ₡5,312

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-15.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 ₡25.0K

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-7.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 ₡4,831

$9.96 Ft 3,241

7.63%

Cappuccino

$4.49 ₡2,023

$3.38 Ft 1,100

32.84%

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

$2.33 ₡1,051

$2.13 Ft 692

9.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ₡815

$1.87 Ft 608

-3.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 ₡1,455

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-13.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₡1,992

$3.57 Ft 1,162

23.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₡1,037

$1.13 Ft 368

103.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 ₡1,600

$1.84 Ft 599

92.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 ₡1,221

$2.39 Ft 777

13.39%

Eggs

$4.05 ₡1,825

$3.83 Ft 1,245

5.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.92 ₡4,473

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-12.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ₡4,729

$6.74 Ft 2,192

55.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ₡6,111

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-7.69%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 ₡2,312

$1.84 Ft 597

178.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$2.01 Ft 653

-16.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,639

$2.36 Ft 767

53.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 ₡1,463

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-14.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 ₡1,534

$0.96 Ft 313

254.17%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 ₡1,394

$1.03 Ft 334

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡501

$1.56 Ft 509

-28.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,192

$0.66 Ft 216

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.43 ₡2,446

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-31.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.63 ₡7,048

$6.01 Ft 1,954

160.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,238

$1.30 Ft 421

111.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 ₡1,472

$2.08 Ft 676

57.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 ₡480

$1.50 Ft 489

-28.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 ₡29.4K

$27.61 Ft 8,982

136.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 ₡981

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-33.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 ₡916

$1.30 Ft 424

56.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 ₡3,977

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-55.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 ₡688

$1.81 Ft 591

-15.47%

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

$32.8K ₡14.8M

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

11.76%

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

$36.0K ₡16.2M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

5.48%

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

$93.4 ₡42.1K

$170 Ft 55.3K

-45.04%

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

$30.19 ₡13.6K

$23.98 Ft 7,802

25.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.1 ₡25.7K

$23.42 Ft 7,621

143.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.1 ₡29.3K

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-1.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.13 ₡9,976

$19.18 Ft 6,239

15.38%

Cinema Ticket

$8.09 ₡3,645

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-15.02%

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

$740 ₡333.8K

$537 Ft 174.6K

37.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ₡5.7M

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-24.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.5 ₡34.0K

$101 Ft 33.0K

-25.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 ₡24.6K

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

27.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.4K

$113 Ft 36.7K

12.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡48.3K

$119 Ft 38.6K

-9.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$833 ₡375.3K

$805 Ft 262.0K

3.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$641 ₡289.1K

$629 Ft 204.7K

1.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 ₡800.8K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

14.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ₡536.9K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

2.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,437 ₡1.1M

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-56.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 ₡735.2K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-58.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,033 ₡465.8K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-36.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

6.43

48.68%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Costa Rica

$641 36.7%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 1.9% $12

Groceries & Markets

Costa Rica

$379 21.7%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 32% $121

Eating Out

Costa Rica

$222 12.7%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 1.1% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Costa Rica

$181 10.3%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 20.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Costa Rica

$164 9.4%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 3.1% $5

Getting Around

Costa Rica

$82 4.7%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 47% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Costa Rica

$81 4.6%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 4.9% $4

Good to know

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

09:43 9:43 AM

8 h ahead of Costa Rica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,044,197

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Costa Rica Budapest 10,160 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Costa Rica
Budapest

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

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HUF, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

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