Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $688 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$688

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $688 per month in Cusco vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Cusco $688
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,096 per month in Cusco vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Cusco $1,096
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,505 per month in Cusco vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Cusco $1,505
Budapest $3,489

Cusco is about 58% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cusco sits 49% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 PEN 6.85

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-85.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.55 PEN 70.7

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-65.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 PEN 23.04

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-32.73%

Cappuccino

$2.11 PEN 7.24

$3.38 Ft 1,102

-37.57%

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

$0.78 PEN 2.69

$2.13 Ft 693

-63.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.13

$1.87 Ft 609

-82.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 PEN 5.92

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-54.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 PEN 14.90

$3.57 Ft 1,163

21.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 PEN 4.27

$1.13 Ft 369

9.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 PEN 7.97

$1.84 Ft 600

26.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 PEN 4.43

$2.39 Ft 777

-46.03%

Eggs

$3.63 PEN 12.48

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-5.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.69 PEN 16.14

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-58.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 PEN 15.24

$6.74 Ft 2,194

-34.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 PEN 25.35

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-49.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 PEN 8.78

$1.84 Ft 598

38.59%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 PEN 2.63

$2.01 Ft 654

-61.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.04

$2.36 Ft 767

-37.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.94

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-77.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 PEN 3.52

$0.96 Ft 314

6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$1.03 Ft 335

6.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 PEN 1.67

$1.56 Ft 509

-68.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PEN 2.58

$0.66 Ft 216

13.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 PEN 20.41

$6.01 Ft 1,956

-1.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 PEN 6.38

$1.30 Ft 422

42.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 PEN 14.16

$2.08 Ft 677

98.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 PEN 1.04

$1.50 Ft 490

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-47.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 PEN 6.65

$1.30 Ft 424

48.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 PEN 9.69

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-85.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 PEN 5.42

$1.81 Ft 591

-13.26%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

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

$28.9K PEN 99.5K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-15.16%

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

$29.31 PEN 101

$170 Ft 55.3K

-82.75%

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

$14.31 PEN 49.22

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-40.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.13 PEN 152

$23.42 Ft 7,628

88.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 PEN 98.1

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-56.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PEN 14.64

$9.52 Ft 3,101

-55.25%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.39 PEN 129

$101 Ft 33.0K

-63.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 PEN 115

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-22.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.4 PEN 187

$113 Ft 36.7K

-51.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 PEN 248

$119 Ft 38.7K

-39.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 PEN 748

$805 Ft 262.2K

-72.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 PEN 657

$629 Ft 204.9K

-69.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 PEN 1,849

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-65.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 PEN 1,431

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-64.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,249 PEN 11.2K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-42.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,823 PEN 6,270

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-54.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$433 PEN 1,490

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-73.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

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

Last update for Cusco: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$191 27.8%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 230% $438

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$187 27.2%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 38% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 90.4% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$88 12.8%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 148% $130

Eating Out

Cusco

$83 12.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 170% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$37 5.4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 130% $48

Getting Around

Cusco

$13 * 1.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 245% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $218 in Cusco versus $805 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 275% 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 $21.00 in Cusco versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $187 vs $258 – making Cusco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

23:51 11:51 PM

06:51 6:51 AM

7 h ahead of Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cusco Budapest 11,190 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cusco
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

Cusco vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 136%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,032 per month in Cusco and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cusco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% 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 $21.00 in Cusco and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cusco, where all-in costs run around $688, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Cusco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cusco – 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 Cusco. 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.