Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Budapest $3,489

Montevideo costs about 12% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montevideo and Budapest sit above the global median – Montevideo by 35%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$13.99 Ft 4,555

9.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,707

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

11.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 577

$9.96 Ft 3,244

44.28%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 186

$3.38 Ft 1,102

37.28%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$2.13 Ft 693

28.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$1.87 Ft 609

11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$3.75 Ft 1,222

26.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$3.57 Ft 1,163

2.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.13 Ft 369

22.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 111

$1.84 Ft 600

50.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.7

$2.39 Ft 777

-29.29%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$3.83 Ft 1,246

18.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 569

$11.33 Ft 3,689

25.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$6.74 Ft 2,194

79.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 488

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-17.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.84 Ft 598

55.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.01 Ft 654

36.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.4

$2.36 Ft 767

-26.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-14.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$0.96 Ft 314

115.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$1.03 Ft 335

100.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.56 Ft 509

-11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.4

$0.66 Ft 216

180.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-30.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$6.01 Ft 1,956

47.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.1

$1.30 Ft 422

76.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 108

$2.08 Ft 677

29.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.2

$1.50 Ft 490

1.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,958

$27.61 Ft 8,991

166.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.3

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-44.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.02

$1.30 Ft 424

-69.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 428

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-46.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.0

$1.81 Ft 591

22.65%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-8.80%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

7.73%

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

$191 UYU 7,662

$170 Ft 55.3K

12.30%

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

$20.40 UYU 819

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-14.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,772

$23.42 Ft 7,628

88.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,174

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-18.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 790

$19.18 Ft 6,245

2.61%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 495

$9.52 Ft 3,101

29.52%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

$537 Ft 174.8K

14.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-33.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,128

$101 Ft 33.0K

1.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,251

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

30.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 4,993

$113 Ft 36.7K

10.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,207

$119 Ft 38.7K

9.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.3K

$805 Ft 262.2K

-12.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$629 Ft 204.9K

-8.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-26.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-12.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-40.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-51.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-24.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

6.43

-10.73%

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

Last update for Montevideo: 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

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 9.3% $54

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 22.5% $75

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 17.3% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 14.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 9% $17

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 48% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 8.2% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo 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 32% 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 $67.0 in Montevideo versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

02:06 2:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

5 h ahead of Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 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 UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Budapest 11,820 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
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

Montevideo vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo 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 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 167% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $613 per month in Montevideo and $537 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 $1,621, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo 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, Montevideo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.