Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Cabos and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Cabos: $1,371 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Los Cabos
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Los Cabos Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Los Cabos

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,371

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,371 per month in Los Cabos vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Los Cabos $1,371
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,211 per month in Los Cabos vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Los Cabos $2,211
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,051 per month in Los Cabos vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Los Cabos $3,051
Budapest $3,429

Los Cabos is about 15% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Los Cabos and Budapest sit above the global median – Los Cabos by 2%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 MX$412

$13.94 Ft 4,503

59.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.70 MX$807

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-28.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.76 MX$254

$10.19 Ft 3,291

35.03%

Cappuccino

$5.22 MX$96.5

$3.26 Ft 1,055

60.12%

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

$2.30 MX$42.51

$2.14 Ft 690

7.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 MX$38.06

$1.78 Ft 577

15.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 MX$92.2

$3.71 Ft 1,198

34.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 MX$154

$3.77 Ft 1,217

121.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 MX$30.46

$1.15 Ft 371

43.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 MX$52.8

$1.79 Ft 578

59.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 MX$44.07

$2.49 Ft 804

-4.42%

Eggs

$2.41 MX$44.49

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-38.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 MX$166

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-19.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 MX$177

$6.62 Ft 2,139

44.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 MX$328

$14.69 Ft 4,745

20.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 MX$76.4

$1.83 Ft 591

125.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.89

$2.05 Ft 661

-13.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 MX$54.2

$2.37 Ft 765

23.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 MX$46.70

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-35.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.16

$0.99 Ft 320

136.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 MX$46.73

$1.00 Ft 322

153.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 MX$22.99

$1.58 Ft 511

-21.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.94

$0.67 Ft 216

28.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 MX$83.6

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-43.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.32 MX$191

$6.22 Ft 2,009

65.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 MX$29.70

$1.27 Ft 411

26.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 MX$57.8

$2.03 Ft 654

54.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 MX$25.98

$1.52 Ft 490

-7.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.20

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-19.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 MX$35.59

$1.37 Ft 442

40.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 MX$215

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-41.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$25.43

$1.82 Ft 589

-24.18%

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

$21.0K MX$388.2K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-29.51%

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

$24.3K MX$449.9K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-27.99%

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

$58.6 MX$1,083

$171 Ft 55.3K

-65.76%

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

$27.70 MX$512

$23.51 Ft 7,596

17.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.59 MX$454

$23.29 Ft 7,526

5.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.48 MX$637

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-48.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.05 MX$371

$18.89 Ft 6,104

6.14%

Cinema Ticket

$4.28 MX$79.1

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-53.98%

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

$215 MX$3,971

$533 Ft 172.3K

-59.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,652 MX$86.0K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-72.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 MX$1,724

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-6.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.63 MX$751

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-6.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 MX$2,298

$110 Ft 35.7K

12.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 MX$1,657

$119 Ft 38.4K

-24.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 MX$11.3K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-26.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 MX$7,226

$622 Ft 200.9K

-37.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 MX$19.3K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-34.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$781 MX$14.4K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-33.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,933 MX$35.7K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-66.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,131 MX$20.9K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-70.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$811 MX$15.0K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-50.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.45

75.19%

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

Last update for Los Cabos: 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

Los Cabos

$391 28.5%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 59.1% $231

Eating Out

Los Cabos

$341 24.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 34.7% $118

Groceries & Markets

Los Cabos

$310 22.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 16.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Los Cabos

$157 11.4%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Cabos

$111 8.1%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 96.5% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Los Cabos

$43 3.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 100% $43

Getting Around

Los Cabos

$18 * 1.3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 147% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $612 in Los Cabos 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 104% 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 $44.00 in Los Cabos versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $310 in Los Cabos vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Los Cabos

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

09:04 9:04 AM

9 h ahead of Los Cabos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,694

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

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Between locations

Los Cabos Budapest 10,670 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,057 per month in Los Cabos 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 Cabos, 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 $44.00 in Los Cabos and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Los Cabos, where all-in costs run around $1,371, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Los Cabos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Los Cabos – 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 Cabos. 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.