Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iquique and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Iquique: $999 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Iquique
Learn more

Iquique Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Iquique

🇨🇱 Chile

$999

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $999 per month in Iquique vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Iquique $999
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,590 per month in Iquique vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Iquique $1,590
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,180 per month in Iquique vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Iquique $2,180
Budapest $3,429

Iquique is about 38% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Iquique sits 26% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.48 CLP 7,359

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-46.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.30 CLP 39.7K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-34.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 CLP 6,934

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-30.91%

Cappuccino

$3.44 CLP 3,384

$3.26 Ft 1,055

5.52%

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

$1.23 CLP 1,210

$2.14 Ft 690

-42.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 CLP 937

$1.78 Ft 577

-46.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 CLP 3,222

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-11.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 CLP 3,552

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-4.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 CLP 1,077

$1.15 Ft 371

-5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 CLP 1,111

$1.79 Ft 578

-36.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 CLP 1,285

$2.49 Ft 804

-47.39%

Eggs

$3.02 CLP 2,972

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-22.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.12 CLP 9,962

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-8.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 CLP 9,896

$6.62 Ft 2,139

51.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 CLP 2,273

$1.83 Ft 591

26.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CLP 2,121

$2.05 Ft 661

4.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,484

$2.37 Ft 765

-36.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 CLP 1,040

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-72.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 CLP 722

$0.99 Ft 320

-26.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 CLP 628

$1.00 Ft 322

-36.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 CLP 981

$1.58 Ft 511

-36.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 CLP 1,326

$0.67 Ft 216

101.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 CLP 7,139

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-8.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.86 CLP 7,734

$6.22 Ft 2,009

26.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 CLP 828

$2.03 Ft 654

-58.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 CLP 679

$1.52 Ft 490

-54.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 CLP 1,419

$1.82 Ft 589

-20.88%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

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

$88.6 CLP 87.2K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-48.21%

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

$15.63 CLP 15.4K

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-33.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.17 CLP 22.8K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-0.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 CLP 49.9K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-24.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 CLP 6,803

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-25.70%

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

$254 CLP 249.8K

$533 Ft 172.3K

-52.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.11 CLP 29.6K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-69.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.04 CLP 22.7K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-47.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.57 CLP 45.8K

$110 Ft 35.7K

-57.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 CLP 57.4K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-50.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 CLP 415.4K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-49.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 CLP 375.7K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-38.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 CLP 671.9K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-57.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$781 CLP 769.3K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-33.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,718 CLP 1.7M

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-70.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,926 CLP 1.9M

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-50.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$958 CLP 943.5K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-41.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

6.45

16.28%

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

Last update for Iquique: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iquique

$382 38.2%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 62.9% $240

Groceries & Markets

Iquique

$197 * 19.7%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 31% $61

Eating Out

Iquique

$155 15.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 44.3% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iquique

$127 12.8%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 71% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Iquique

$71 7.1%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 136% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Iquique

$65 6.5%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 33.5% $22

Getting Around

Iquique

$2.8 * 0.3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 1503% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $422 in Iquique 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 72% 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 $40.00 in Iquique versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $258 – making Iquique the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Iquique

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

15:40 3:40 PM

20:40 8:40 PM

5 h ahead of Iquique

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,003

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Iquique Budapest 11,590 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Iquique
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

Iquique vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,498 per month in Iquique 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 Iquique, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Iquique and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Iquique, where all-in costs run around $999, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Iquique it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iquique – 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 Iquique. 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.