Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazatlan and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazatlan: $1,436 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Mazatlan
Learn more

Mazatlan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Mazatlan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,436

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,436 per month in Mazatlan vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Mazatlan $1,436
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,041 per month in Mazatlan vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Mazatlan $2,041
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,645 per month in Mazatlan vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Mazatlan $2,645
Budapest $3,489

Mazatlan is about 11% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mazatlan and Budapest sit above the global median – Mazatlan by 7%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.96 MX$199

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-21.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.29 MX$842

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-23.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 MX$152

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-15.96%

Cappuccino

$3.40 MX$61.8

$3.38 Ft 1,102

0.59%

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

$1.45 MX$26.29

$2.13 Ft 693

-31.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 MX$19.94

$1.87 Ft 609

-41.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 MX$38.67

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-43.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 MX$51.5

$3.57 Ft 1,163

-20.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$29.86

$1.13 Ft 369

45.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 MX$47.05

$1.84 Ft 600

40.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 MX$24.22

$2.39 Ft 777

-44.35%

Eggs

$2.74 MX$49.92

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-28.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.06 MX$147

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-28.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 MX$126

$6.74 Ft 2,194

2.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 MX$140

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-47.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$49.43

$1.84 Ft 598

47.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 MX$30.88

$2.01 Ft 654

-15.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.51

$2.36 Ft 767

-31.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 MX$9.43

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-86.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 MX$29.72

$0.96 Ft 314

69.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 MX$24.89

$1.03 Ft 335

33.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 MX$29.17

$1.56 Ft 509

2.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 MX$76.4

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-47.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.98 MX$291

$6.01 Ft 1,956

165.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 MX$36.89

$1.30 Ft 422

56.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 MX$56.2

$2.08 Ft 677

48.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.60

$1.50 Ft 490

-54.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.84 MX$761

$27.61 Ft 8,991

51.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 MX$67.4

$3.30 Ft 1,075

12.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.45 MX$44.58

$1.30 Ft 424

88.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$27.91

$1.81 Ft 591

-15.47%

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

$21.4K MX$389.3K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-27.02%

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

$24.8K MX$450.8K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-27.34%

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

$59.0 MX$1,074

$170 Ft 55.3K

-65.26%

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

$46.93 MX$854

$23.98 Ft 7,809

95.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.53 MX$792

$23.42 Ft 7,628

85.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.05 MX$819

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-31.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 MX$79.9

$9.52 Ft 3,101

-53.89%

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

$88.4 MX$1,609

$537 Ft 174.8K

-83.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,007 MX$36.5K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-87.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.9 MX$1,162

$101 Ft 33.0K

-36.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.58 MX$502

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-35.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,036

$113 Ft 36.7K

-0.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 MX$1,530

$119 Ft 38.7K

-29.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 MX$14.3K

$805 Ft 262.2K

-2.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 MX$11.3K

$629 Ft 204.9K

-1.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 MX$22.6K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-19.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$840 MX$15.3K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-28.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,579 MX$28.7K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-71.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,051 MX$19.1K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-73.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$533 MX$9,694

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-67.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

6.43

80.40%

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

Last update for Mazatlan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mazatlan

$619 43.4%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 1.6% $10

Groceries & Markets

Mazatlan

$236 * 16.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 9.3% $22

Eating Out

Mazatlan

$180 12.6%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 24.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mazatlan

$150 10.5%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 45.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Mazatlan

$129 9.1%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 30.7% $40

Getting Around

Mazatlan

$61 4.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 28.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Mazatlan

$54 3.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 58.4% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Mazatlan versus $805 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 205% 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 $46.00 in Mazatlan versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $258 – making Mazatlan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mazatlan

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

07:26 7:26 AM

9 h ahead of Mazatlan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

441,975

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mazatlan Budapest 10,450 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mazatlan
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

Mazatlan vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,155 per month in Mazatlan and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mazatlan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Mazatlan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $88.4 per month in Mazatlan and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mazatlan, where all-in costs run around $1,436, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Mazatlan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mazatlan – 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 Mazatlan. 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.