Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leon and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $1,223 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Leon
Learn more

Leon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Leon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,223

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,223 per month in Leon vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Leon $1,223
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,985 per month in Leon vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Leon $1,985
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,747 per month in Leon vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Leon $2,747
Budapest $3,429

Leon is about 24% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Leon sits 9% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.17 MX$206

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-19.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 MX$1,020

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-9.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 MX$163

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-13.64%

Cappuccino

$4.03 MX$74.5

$3.26 Ft 1,055

23.62%

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

$1.56 MX$28.84

$2.14 Ft 690

-27.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.04

$1.78 Ft 577

-29.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 MX$56.8

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-17.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 MX$72.6

$3.77 Ft 1,217

4.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 MX$31.67

$1.15 Ft 371

48.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 MX$49.51

$1.79 Ft 578

49.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.31

$2.49 Ft 804

-27.71%

Eggs

$3.27 MX$60.4

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-16.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 MX$133

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-35.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 MX$140

$6.62 Ft 2,139

14.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 MX$200

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-26.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.03

$1.83 Ft 591

36.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.59

$2.05 Ft 661

-32.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.76

$2.37 Ft 765

-22.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.42

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-60.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.75

$0.99 Ft 320

101.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 MX$38.60

$1.00 Ft 322

109.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 MX$25.56

$1.58 Ft 511

-12.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 MX$12.89

$0.67 Ft 216

4.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 MX$129

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-12.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 MX$252

$6.22 Ft 2,009

119.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 MX$43.71

$1.27 Ft 411

86.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 MX$66.7

$2.03 Ft 654

77.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$13.93

$1.52 Ft 490

-50.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.67 MX$659

$28.02 Ft 9,053

27.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 MX$51.1

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-16.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 MX$50.2

$1.37 Ft 442

98.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.96 MX$276

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-24.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.97

$1.82 Ft 589

-19.78%

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

$21.2K MX$392.0K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-28.81%

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

$24.2K MX$446.3K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-28.56%

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

$21.60 MX$399

$171 Ft 55.3K

-87.38%

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

$40.70 MX$752

$23.51 Ft 7,596

73.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.3 MX$1,077

$23.29 Ft 7,526

150.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 MX$1,121

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-10.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.51 MX$638

$18.89 Ft 6,104

82.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 MX$120

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-30.43%

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

$183 MX$3,386

$533 Ft 172.3K

-65.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,826 MX$70.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-77.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 MX$1,049

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-43.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.0 MX$1,219

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

51.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,868

$110 Ft 35.7K

-8.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,122

$119 Ft 38.4K

-3.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 MX$9,681

$830 Ft 268.3K

-36.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 MX$6,653

$622 Ft 200.9K

-42.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 MX$14.1K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-52.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 MX$12.6K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-41.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$532 MX$9,839

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-67.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

6.45

79.84%

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

Last update for Leon: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leon

$360 29.5%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 72.7% $262

Groceries & Markets

Leon

$262 21.5%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 1.7% $4.3

Eating Out

Leon

$199 16.3%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 12.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Leon

$152 12.5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 10% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leon

$121 9.9%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 80.7% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Leon

$74 6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 17% $13

Getting Around

Leon

$55 4.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 19.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $524 in Leon 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 210% 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 $55.0 in Leon versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Leon vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Leon

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

05:21 5:21 AM

8 h ahead of Leon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,579,803

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Leon Budapest 10,370 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Leon
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

Leon vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,834 per month in Leon 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 Leon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Leon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $183 per month in Leon and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Leon, where all-in costs run around $1,223, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Leon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Leon – 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 Leon. 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.