Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mandaluyong and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaluyong: $841 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Mandaluyong
Learn more

Mandaluyong Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$841

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $841 per month in Mandaluyong vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Mandaluyong $841
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,389 per month in Mandaluyong vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Mandaluyong $1,389
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,936 per month in Mandaluyong vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Mandaluyong $1,936
Budapest $3,429

Mandaluyong is about 48% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mandaluyong sits 38% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.72 ₱297

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-66.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.62 ₱1,046

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-72.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.53 ₱223

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-65.36%

Cappuccino

$2.18 ₱137

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-33.13%

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

$0.99 ₱62.1

$2.14 Ft 690

-53.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.84

$1.78 Ft 577

-72.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₱76.7

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-67.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₱152

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-36.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₱105

$1.15 Ft 371

46.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ₱81.6

$1.79 Ft 578

-27.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.8

$2.49 Ft 804

-58.63%

Eggs

$2.21 ₱139

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-43.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.18 ₱326

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-53.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 ₱305

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-26.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.82 ₱429

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-53.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ₱213

$1.83 Ft 591

84.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 ₱119

$2.05 Ft 661

-7.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 ₱194

$2.37 Ft 765

30.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 ₱116

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-52.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 ₱139

$0.99 Ft 320

123.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ₱166

$1.00 Ft 322

163.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱39.08

$1.58 Ft 511

-60.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.84

$0.67 Ft 216

-26.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ₱185

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-63.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 ₱564

$6.22 Ft 2,009

43.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.0

$1.27 Ft 411

-25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ₱130

$2.03 Ft 654

1.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₱23.73

$1.52 Ft 490

-75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₱45.59

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-78.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.47

$1.37 Ft 442

-83.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 ₱122

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-90.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₱76.5

$1.82 Ft 589

-32.97%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-29.35%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-42.88%

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

$138 ₱8,711

$171 Ft 55.3K

-19.14%

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

$17.70 ₱1,114

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-24.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.54 ₱1,545

$23.29 Ft 7,526

5.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.59 ₱1,989

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-53.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$6.11 ₱385

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-34.30%

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

$131 ₱8,261

$533 Ft 172.3K

-75.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ₱553.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-47.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.06 ₱1,830

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-70.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.11 ₱1,707

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-37.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ₱4,481

$110 Ft 35.7K

-35.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,454

$119 Ft 38.4K

-53.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 ₱39.1K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-25.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ₱15.1K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-61.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 ₱74.1K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-26.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 ₱45.6K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-38.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,810 ₱176.9K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-51.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$533 ₱33.6K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-67.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.45

4.65%

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

Last update for Mandaluyong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mandaluyong

$241 28.6%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 159% $381

Groceries & Markets

Mandaluyong

$200 23.7%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 29.2% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mandaluyong

$181 21.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 20.7% $37

Eating Out

Mandaluyong

$91 10.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 144% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Mandaluyong

$82 9.7%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 104% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Mandaluyong

$44 5.2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 96.6% $42

Getting Around

Mandaluyong

$3.4 * 0.4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 1209% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $622 in Mandaluyong 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 $17.00 in Mandaluyong versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $258 – making Mandaluyong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:55 3:55 AM

21:55 9:55 PM

6 h behind Mandaluyong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

425,758

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mandaluyong Budapest 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mandaluyong
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

Mandaluyong vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,262 per month in Mandaluyong 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 Mandaluyong, 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 $17.00 in Mandaluyong and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mandaluyong, where all-in costs run around $841, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Mandaluyong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mandaluyong – 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 Mandaluyong. 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.