Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Ángeles and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Ángeles: $925 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Los Ángeles
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Los Ángeles Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Los Ángeles

🇨🇱 Chile

$925

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Los Ángeles vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Los Ángeles $925
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,378 per month in Los Ángeles vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Los Ángeles $1,378
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,831 per month in Los Ángeles vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Los Ángeles $1,831
Budapest $3,429

Los Ángeles is about 43% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Los Ángeles sits 32% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 CLP 12.3K

$13.94 Ft 4,525

-10.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.23 CLP 24.8K

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

-58.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 CLP 10.0K

$10.19 Ft 3,307

-0.20%

Cappuccino

$2.03 CLP 1,996

$3.26 Ft 1,060

-37.73%

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

$1.50 CLP 1,474

$2.14 Ft 694

-29.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CLP 1,542

$1.78 Ft 579

-11.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 CLP 2,437

$3.71 Ft 1,204

-33.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 CLP 2,998

$3.77 Ft 1,223

-19.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 CLP 1,189

$1.15 Ft 372

5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 CLP 2,756

$1.79 Ft 580

56.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 CLP 2,939

$2.49 Ft 808

19.68%

Eggs

$4.33 CLP 4,269

$3.90 Ft 1,267

11.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.05 CLP 7,928

$11.10 Ft 3,605

-27.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.69 CLP 10.5K

$6.62 Ft 2,149

61.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.17 CLP 14.0K

$14.69 Ft 4,769

-3.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 CLP 2,587

$1.83 Ft 594

43.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 CLP 1,582

$2.05 Ft 664

-21.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 CLP 2,673

$2.37 Ft 769

14.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 CLP 2,248

$3.90 Ft 1,266

-41.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,483

$0.99 Ft 322

52.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,570

$1.00 Ft 323

59.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 CLP 1,416

$1.58 Ft 514

-8.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 CLP 1,083

$0.67 Ft 217

64.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.67 CLP 5,586

$7.96 Ft 2,585

-28.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.27 CLP 4,203

$6.22 Ft 2,019

-31.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 CLP 978

$1.27 Ft 413

-22.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 658

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 CLP 488

$1.52 Ft 492

-67.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,098

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 CLP 2,032

$3.31 Ft 1,075

-37.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,438

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 CLP 1,245

$1.82 Ft 591

-30.77%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

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

$123 CLP 120.9K

$171 Ft 55.6K

-28.30%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,634

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.82 CLP 20.5K

$23.29 Ft 7,563

-10.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.7 CLP 79.5K

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

19.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.27 CLP 10.1K

$18.89 Ft 6,135

-45.63%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 CLP 4,355

$9.30 Ft 3,019

-52.47%

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

$533 Ft 173.2K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 CLP 269.6K

$830 Ft 269.6K

-67.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 CLP 224.2K

$622 Ft 201.9K

-63.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$442 CLP 435.3K

$1,594 Ft 517.4K

-72.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 CLP 331.6K

$1,170 Ft 380.0K

-71.23%

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)

$1,651 Ft 536.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

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

Last update for Los Ángeles: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Los Ángeles

$275 * 29.7%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 6.1% $17

Accommodation & Living

Los Ángeles

$228 24.6%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 173% $394

Eating Out

Los Ángeles

$185 20%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 20.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Ángeles

$144 * 15.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 51.8% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Los Ángeles

$90 9.7%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 3.8% $3.4

Getting Around

Los Ángeles

$4 * 0.4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 995% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Los Ángeles

- * 0%

Budapest

$168 10.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $274 in Los Ángeles 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Los Ángeles versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $275 in Los Ángeles vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Los Ángeles

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

07:07 7:07 AM

5 h ahead of Los Ángeles

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,023

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.15 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.07 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.08 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 985 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,103 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.07 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Los Ángeles Budapest 13,060 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Ángeles
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

Los Ángeles vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,387 per month in Los Ángeles 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 Los Ángeles, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Los Ángeles and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Los Ángeles, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Los Ángeles it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Los Ángeles – 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 Los Ángeles. 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.