Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ecatepec and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecatepec: $961 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Ecatepec
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Ecatepec Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Mexico

$961

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $961 per month in Ecatepec vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Ecatepec $961
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,670 per month in Ecatepec vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Ecatepec $1,670
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,380 per month in Ecatepec vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Ecatepec $2,380
Budapest $3,429

Ecatepec is about 41% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Ecatepec sits 29% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 MX$206

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-20.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 MX$926

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-18.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 MX$177

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-6.08%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$68.6

$3.26 Ft 1,055

13.80%

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

$1.62 MX$30.02

$2.14 Ft 690

-24.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.09

$1.78 Ft 577

-38.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-8.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 MX$103

$3.77 Ft 1,217

48.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.71

$1.15 Ft 371

49.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 MX$49.12

$1.79 Ft 578

48.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.17

$2.49 Ft 804

-21.29%

Eggs

$2.75 MX$50.9

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-29.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.82 MX$163

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-20.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 MX$168

$6.62 Ft 2,139

37.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 MX$249

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-8.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$58.0

$1.83 Ft 591

71.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.74

$2.05 Ft 661

-19.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.65

$2.37 Ft 765

-13.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.12

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-51.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.16

$0.99 Ft 320

80.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.42

$1.00 Ft 322

75.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MX$27.48

$1.58 Ft 511

-5.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$21.95

$0.67 Ft 216

77.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.59 MX$84.9

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-42.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.62 MX$307

$6.22 Ft 2,009

167.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.27 Ft 411

51.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 MX$70.7

$2.03 Ft 654

88.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.72

$1.52 Ft 490

-58.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.01 MX$573

$28.02 Ft 9,053

10.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 MX$36.81

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-39.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.68

$1.37 Ft 442

-62.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.32 MX$98.3

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-73.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.48

$1.82 Ft 589

-15.38%

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

$21.5K MX$397.7K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-27.78%

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

$23.5K MX$434.5K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-30.46%

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

$57.7 MX$1,067

$171 Ft 55.3K

-66.26%

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

$27.01 MX$499

$23.51 Ft 7,596

14.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.74 MX$457

$23.29 Ft 7,526

6.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.37 MX$487

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-60.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.00 MX$203

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-41.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 MX$120

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-30.43%

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

$270 MX$4,996

$533 Ft 172.3K

-49.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,048 MX$93.3K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-69.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 MX$1,092

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-40.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.94 MX$830

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

3.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 MX$1,855

$110 Ft 35.7K

-9.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 MX$1,826

$119 Ft 38.4K

-16.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$243 MX$4,487

$830 Ft 268.3K

-70.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 MX$2,550

$622 Ft 200.9K

-77.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 MX$12.6K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-57.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 MX$8,205

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-62.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$755 MX$14.0K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-87.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$755 MX$13.9K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-80.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$553 MX$10.2K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-66.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.45

75.19%

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

Last update for Ecatepec: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ecatepec

$298 31%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 13.4% $40

Eating Out

Ecatepec

$201 21%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 10.8% $22

Accommodation & Living

Ecatepec

$138 14.4%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 351% $484

Clothing & Footwear

Ecatepec

$136 14.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 22.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ecatepec

$109 11.4%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 99.1% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Ecatepec

$39 4.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 119% $47

Getting Around

Ecatepec

$38 4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 15.9% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $243 in Ecatepec 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 198% 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 $50.0 in Ecatepec versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Ecatepec vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ecatepec

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:43 5:43 AM

13:43 1:43 PM

8 h ahead of Ecatepec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,645,352

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

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Between locations

Ecatepec Budapest 10,340 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Ecatepec
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

Ecatepec vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,441 per month in Ecatepec 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 Ecatepec, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Ecatepec. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $270 per month in Ecatepec and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ecatepec, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ecatepec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ecatepec – 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 Ecatepec. 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.