Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in Budapest: $1,608 and $1,638 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,638 in Budapest, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Budapest $1,638

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $2,553 in Budapest, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Budapest $2,553

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $3,467 in Budapest, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Budapest $3,467

Mexico City and Budapest have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Mexico City and Budapest sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$13.81 Ft 4,552

-23.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

-21.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$10.16 Ft 3,349

1.87%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$3.22 Ft 1,062

14.60%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$2.06 Ft 680

-18.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$1.83 Ft 605

-30.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$3.60 Ft 1,188

-11.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.66 Ft 1,208

45.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.19 Ft 392

44.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.87 Ft 617

62.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.37 Ft 780

-18.14%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$3.96 Ft 1,305

-27.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$11.16 Ft 3,680

-1.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$6.76 Ft 2,228

36.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$14.35 Ft 4,731

5.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.81 Ft 596

68.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.11 Ft 695

-8.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$2.33 Ft 770

-12.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$3.80 Ft 1,254

-39.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$0.99 Ft 327

106.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$0.98 Ft 324

83.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.55 Ft 512

-4.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.70 Ft 230

81.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$7.79 Ft 2,569

-31.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$6.05 Ft 1,995

166.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.28 Ft 421

54.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.04 Ft 672

108.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$1.55 Ft 511

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$27.28 Ft 8,995

-27.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$3.30 Ft 1,087

-44.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.31 Ft 433

-59.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$20.26 Ft 6,679

-73.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.82 Ft 600

-17.03%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

-24.26%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

-27.49%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$172 Ft 56.8K

-63.42%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$23.95 Ft 7,897

14.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$23.31 Ft 7,685

53.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

-14.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$18.91 Ft 6,235

25.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$10.18 Ft 3,356

-37.13%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$600 Ft 197.9K

-28.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

-31.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

-31.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

22.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$113 Ft 37.2K

-4.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$117 Ft 38.6K

0.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$836 Ft 275.6K

33.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$640 Ft 210.9K

11.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

61.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

16.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

-35.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

-43.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

-43.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.45

75.97%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Budapest

$640 39.1% 9.9% $71

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 19.1% $61

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Budapest

$221 13.5% 11% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Budapest

$168 10.2% 7.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Budapest

$219 13.4% 74.1% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Budapest

$89 5.4% 24% $17

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 70.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $836 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 77% higher in Budapest. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $61 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Mexico City vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

20:58 8:58 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Budapest 10,360 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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

Mexico City vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $2,457 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $836 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $61 in Budapest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,638 in Budapest, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mexico City costs $1,608 versus $1,638 in Budapest. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.