Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isla Mujeres and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla Mujeres: $1,087 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Isla Mujeres
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Isla Mujeres Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Isla Mujeres

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,087

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,087 per month in Isla Mujeres vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Isla Mujeres $1,087
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,747 per month in Isla Mujeres vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Isla Mujeres $1,747
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,407 per month in Isla Mujeres vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Isla Mujeres $2,407
Budapest $3,489

Isla Mujeres is about 33% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Isla Mujeres sits 19% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.60 MX$193

$13.99 Ft 4,570

-24.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.12 MX$714

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-35.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.06 MX$147

$9.96 Ft 3,255

-19.08%

Cappuccino

$3.38 MX$61.8

$3.38 Ft 1,105

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

$1.24 MX$22.59

$2.13 Ft 696

-41.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 MX$17.61

$1.87 Ft 611

-48.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 MX$40.87

$3.75 Ft 1,226

-40.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 MX$69.3

$3.57 Ft 1,167

6.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.12

$1.13 Ft 370

26.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 MX$48.25

$1.84 Ft 602

43.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MX$28.74

$2.39 Ft 780

-34.31%

Eggs

$2.38 MX$43.51

$3.83 Ft 1,250

-37.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 MX$150

$11.33 Ft 3,702

-27.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.00 MX$146

$6.74 Ft 2,201

18.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 MX$197

$14.69 Ft 4,800

-26.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$49.58

$1.84 Ft 600

47.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$25.58

$2.01 Ft 656

-30.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.53

$2.36 Ft 770

-24.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.19

$3.77 Ft 1,232

-56.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 MX$33.66

$0.96 Ft 315

91.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.22

$1.03 Ft 336

87.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 MX$22.92

$1.56 Ft 511

-19.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 MX$17.72

$0.66 Ft 217

46.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$78.0

$7.96 Ft 2,602

-46.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.66 MX$195

$6.01 Ft 1,963

77.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 MX$28.30

$1.30 Ft 423

19.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 MX$50.0

$2.08 Ft 679

31.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MX$11.98

$1.50 Ft 491

-56.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 9,021

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 MX$48.47

$3.30 Ft 1,079

-19.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 MX$27.81

$1.30 Ft 426

16.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 MX$153

$19.78 Ft 6,465

-57.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MX$24.25

$1.81 Ft 593

-26.52%

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

$21.2K MX$387.4K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-27.65%

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

$22.8K MX$416.8K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-33.06%

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

$56.0 MX$1,023

$170 Ft 55.5K

-67.03%

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

$22.35 MX$408

$23.98 Ft 7,836

-6.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.89 MX$509

$23.42 Ft 7,654

19.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.84 MX$673

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-44.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.02 MX$292

$19.18 Ft 6,266

-16.48%

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 MX$85.4

$9.52 Ft 3,112

-50.84%

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

$206 MX$3,758

$537 Ft 175.4K

-61.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,587 MX$65.5K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-78.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 MX$984

$101 Ft 33.1K

-46.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 MX$724

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-7.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 MX$1,630

$113 Ft 36.8K

-20.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 MX$1,423

$119 Ft 38.8K

-34.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 MX$9,466

$805 Ft 263.1K

-35.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 MX$7,123

$629 Ft 205.6K

-38.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 MX$16.9K

$1,549 Ft 506.3K

-40.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 MX$13.9K

$1,167 Ft 381.4K

-34.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,785 MX$32.6K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-68.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,153 MX$21.1K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-70.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 531.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

6.43

78.54%

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

Last update for Isla Mujeres: October 6, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Isla Mujeres

$390 35.4%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 61.3% $239

Groceries & Markets

Isla Mujeres

$252 22.8%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 2.4% $6

Eating Out

Isla Mujeres

$177 16.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 26.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Isla Mujeres

$117 10.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 44.2% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isla Mujeres

$106 9.7%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 105% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Isla Mujeres

$46 4.2%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 84.6% $39

Getting Around

Isla Mujeres

$13 * 1.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 237% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $518 in Isla Mujeres 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Isla Mujeres versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $258 – making Isla Mujeres the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Isla Mujeres

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

02:48 2:48 AM

09:48 9:48 AM

7 h ahead of Isla Mujeres

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,174

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.48 USD

100 MXN = 4.89 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 18.26 MXN (100 MXN = 5.48 USD). 1 EUR = 20.46 MXN (100 MXN = 4.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Isla Mujeres Budapest 9,400 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Isla Mujeres
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

Isla Mujeres vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,631 per month in Isla Mujeres 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 Isla Mujeres, 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 $39.00 in Isla Mujeres and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% 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 Isla Mujeres, where all-in costs run around $1,087, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Isla Mujeres it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Isla Mujeres – 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 Isla Mujeres. 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.