Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lages and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Lages: $931 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Lages
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Lages Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Lages

🇧🇷 Brazil

$931

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $931 per month in Lages vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Lages $931
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,494 per month in Lages vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Lages $1,494
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $2,058 per month in Lages vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Lages $2,058
Budapest $3,483

Lages is about 43% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lages sits 31% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.95 R$40.28

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-43.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.35 R$199

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-35.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.90 R$34.96

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-33.46%

Cappuccino

$2.52 R$12.77

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-27.17%

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

$1.42 R$7.22

$2.07 Ft 669

-31.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 R$5.39

$1.77 Ft 572

-40.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 R$12.56

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 R$15.10

$3.80 Ft 1,229

-21.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R$5.07

$1.16 Ft 374

-13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 R$8.52

$1.85 Ft 598

-9.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.51

$2.40 Ft 776

-54.58%

Eggs

$2.46 R$12.45

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-38.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.28 R$52.1

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-9.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.88 R$24.73

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-28.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.90 R$50.2

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-31.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 R$12.42

$1.88 Ft 607

30.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 R$7.69

$2.14 Ft 693

-28.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.16

$2.30 Ft 744

-38.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.20

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-59.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.34

$1.02 Ft 329

22.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.47

$0.99 Ft 320

9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 R$4.79

$1.58 Ft 510

-40.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.11

$0.70 Ft 225

15.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 R$12.87

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-68.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.22 R$41.66

$6.18 Ft 1,997

33.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R$5.76

$1.24 Ft 401

-8.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 R$11.47

$2.06 Ft 666

9.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.09

$1.59 Ft 513

-37.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.06 R$223

$27.52 Ft 8,893

60.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.51

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-62.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 R$4.12

$1.33 Ft 431

-39.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 R$42.05

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-59.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.77

$1.93 Ft 624

-30.57%

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

$23.9K R$121.4K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-17.82%

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

$33.4K R$169.4K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-3.80%

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

$77.0 R$390

$175 Ft 56.4K

-55.89%

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

$12.30 R$62.4

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-47.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.01 R$112

$23.60 Ft 7,625

-6.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.95 R$132

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-62.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.71 R$140

$19.26 Ft 6,224

43.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 R$38.02

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-27.26%

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

$282 R$1,428

$535 Ft 172.9K

-47.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,318 R$37.1K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-56.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 R$255

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-49.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 R$292

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

33.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R$518

$112 Ft 36.1K

-8.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.7 R$404

$119 Ft 38.4K

-33.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$362 R$1,833

$832 Ft 268.8K

-56.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$245 R$1,241

$629 Ft 203.3K

-61.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 R$3,454

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-57.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 R$2,358

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-61.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,705 R$8,643

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-70.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 R$6,164

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-69.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

6.45

78.29%

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

Last update for Lages: October 19, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lages

$245 26.3%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 157% $384

Groceries & Markets

Lages

$207 22.3%

Budapest

$262 16% 26.4% $55

Eating Out

Lages

$143 15.3%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 58.5% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Lages

$130 14%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 29% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lages

$111 12%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 99.2% $110

Getting Around

Lages

$53 5.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 17.7% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lages

$41 4.4%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 118% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $362 in Lages versus $832 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 Lages versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $262 – making Lages the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Lages

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

23:48 11:48 PM

5 h ahead of Lages

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,981

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lages Budapest 10,860 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Lages
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

Lages vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 76%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,396 per month in Lages and $2,461 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 60% less in Lages. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $282 per month in Lages and $535 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 Lages, where all-in costs run around $931, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Lages it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lages – 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 Lages. 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.