Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maia and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Maia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
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Maia Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,182 per month in Maia vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Maia $2,182
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $2,718 per month in Maia vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Maia $2,718
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $3,254 per month in Maia vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Maia $3,254
Budapest $3,483

Maia costs about 33% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Maia and Budapest sit above the global median – Maia by 61%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.42 €10.16

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-18.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.0 €44.49

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-17.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.88 €7.90

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-14.37%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.78

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-42.20%

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

$1.93 €1.71

$2.07 Ft 669

-6.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.77 Ft 572

-18.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 €1.98

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-39.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 €3.57

$3.80 Ft 1,229

5.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.16 Ft 374

-5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.85 Ft 598

-8.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.40 Ft 776

-36.25%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.57

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-27.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 €11.82

$11.40 Ft 3,683

16.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 €7.05

$6.87 Ft 2,221

15.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.73 €13.10

$14.49 Ft 4,682

1.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.88 Ft 607

18.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.14 Ft 693

-18.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.30 Ft 744

-10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-42.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.02 Ft 329

117.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.99 Ft 320

121.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 €0.82

$1.58 Ft 510

-41.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.70 Ft 225

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 €5.89

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-17.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.18 Ft 1,997

-25.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.24 Ft 401

5.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.06 Ft 666

19.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.59 Ft 513

55.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.74 €39.80

$27.52 Ft 8,893

62.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 €4.04

$3.43 Ft 1,110

32.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.33 Ft 431

8.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.93 €15.06

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-17.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.93 Ft 624

8.81%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

10.71%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

10.79%

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

$106 €94.3

$175 Ft 56.4K

-39.26%

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

$20.07 €17.85

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-15.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.05 €33.84

$23.60 Ft 7,625

61.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.89 €39.93

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-34.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.01 €30.25

$19.26 Ft 6,224

76.58%

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 €7.70

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-16.10%

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

$439 €390

$535 Ft 172.9K

-18.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,437 €5,726

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-61.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.9

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

11.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.04 €19.60

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-49.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 €67.5

$112 Ft 36.1K

-32.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.0

$119 Ft 38.4K

-11.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 €953

$832 Ft 268.8K

28.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 €1,168

$629 Ft 203.3K

108.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 €1,518

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

7.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

3.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,036 €2,701

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-46.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,673 €1,488

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-57.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 €1,263

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

-17.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

6.45

-42.64%

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

Last update for Maia: October 17, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maia

$1.3K 60.2%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 52.1% $684

Groceries & Markets

Maia

$259 11.9%

Budapest

$262 16% 0.9% $2.3

Eating Out

Maia

$175 8%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 29.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maia

$164 7.5%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 35.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Maia

$142 6.5%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 18.8% $27

Getting Around

Maia

$66 3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 33.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Maia

$62 2.9%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 43.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,072 in Maia 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.

Salaries run about 21% higher in Budapest, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Maia versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $262 – making Maia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Maia

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

23:17 11:17 PM

1 h ahead of Maia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,988

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Maia Budapest 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Maia vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Maia is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,273 per month in Maia 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 Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 63% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $439 per month in Maia and $535 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Maia at $2,182. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Maia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.