Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuernavaca and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuernavaca: $1,011 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
Learn more

Cuernavaca Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,011

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,011 per month in Cuernavaca vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Cuernavaca $1,011
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,692 per month in Cuernavaca vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Cuernavaca $1,692
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,373 per month in Cuernavaca vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Cuernavaca $2,373
Budapest $3,429

Cuernavaca is about 38% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cuernavaca sits 25% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.05 MX$149

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-42.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 MX$707

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-37.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 MX$134

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-28.95%

Cappuccino

$2.43 MX$44.98

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-25.46%

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

$1.27 MX$23.43

$2.14 Ft 690

-40.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 MX$11.60

$1.78 Ft 577

-64.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 MX$46.29

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-32.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 MX$60.3

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-13.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.33

$1.15 Ft 371

47.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$1.79 Ft 578

23.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.52

$2.49 Ft 804

-42.17%

Eggs

$1.92 MX$35.49

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-50.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 MX$149

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-27.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 MX$90.4

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-26.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.78 MX$255

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-6.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 MX$41.24

$1.83 Ft 591

21.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 MX$25.02

$2.05 Ft 661

-34.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.07

$2.37 Ft 765

-8.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.92

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-57.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.62

$0.99 Ft 320

72.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 MX$32.06

$1.00 Ft 322

74.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.25

$1.58 Ft 511

-3.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.78

$0.67 Ft 216

35.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 MX$81.2

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-44.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.15 MX$151

$6.22 Ft 2,009

31.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.55

$1.27 Ft 411

-3.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 MX$61.4

$2.03 Ft 654

63.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.51

$1.52 Ft 490

-62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.69 MX$512

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-1.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 MX$35.20

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-42.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 MX$48.52

$1.37 Ft 442

91.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.93 MX$202

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-44.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.26

$1.82 Ft 589

-21.98%

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

$21.0K MX$387.9K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-29.56%

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

$24.1K MX$444.6K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-28.83%

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

$57.3 MX$1,059

$171 Ft 55.3K

-66.53%

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

$18.78 MX$347

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-20.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.19 MX$465

$23.29 Ft 7,526

8.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.75 MX$476

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-61.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$5.44 MX$100

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-41.51%

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

$217 MX$4,018

$533 Ft 172.3K

-59.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,075 MX$93.8K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-69.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.29 MX$763

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-58.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.18 MX$613

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-23.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 MX$1,719

$110 Ft 35.7K

-15.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.1 MX$1,832

$119 Ft 38.4K

-16.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,110

$830 Ft 268.3K

-53.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 MX$6,140

$622 Ft 200.9K

-46.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.7K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-39.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$804 MX$14.9K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-31.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$870 MX$16.1K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-85.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$606 MX$11.2K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-84.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$649 MX$12.0K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-60.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.4

6.45

76.74%

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

Last update for Cuernavaca: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuernavaca

$332 32.9%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 87.2% $290

Groceries & Markets

Cuernavaca

$234 23.1%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 10.4% $24

Eating Out

Cuernavaca

$142 14.1%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 57% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Cuernavaca

$120 11.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 39.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuernavaca

$101 10%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 115% $117

Getting Around

Cuernavaca

$45 4.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 1.7% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Cuernavaca

$37 3.6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 135% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $385 in Cuernavaca 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 154% 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 $38.00 in Cuernavaca versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $258 – making Cuernavaca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

11:25 11:25 AM

8 h ahead of Cuernavaca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

341,029

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 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 MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cuernavaca Budapest 10,410 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuernavaca
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

Cuernavaca vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,516 per month in Cuernavaca 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 Cuernavaca, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 1% less in Cuernavaca. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $217 per month in Cuernavaca and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cuernavaca, where all-in costs run around $1,011, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Cuernavaca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cuernavaca – 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 Cuernavaca. 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.