Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nogales and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Nogales: $1,138 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Nogales
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Nogales Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,138

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,138 per month in Nogales vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Nogales $1,138
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,854 per month in Nogales vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Nogales $1,854
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,570 per month in Nogales vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Nogales $2,570
Budapest $3,489

Nogales is about 30% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Nogales sits 15% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.96 MX$201

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-21.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.05 MX$827

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-25.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 MX$154

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-15.96%

Cappuccino

$3.62 MX$66.4

$3.38 Ft 1,100

7.10%

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

$1.35 MX$24.79

$2.13 Ft 692

-36.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$19.01

$1.87 Ft 608

-44.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 MX$47.30

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-31.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 MX$75.3

$3.57 Ft 1,162

14.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$29.09

$1.13 Ft 368

39.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$48.22

$1.84 Ft 599

42.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.85

$2.39 Ft 777

-27.62%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$46.77

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-33.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 MX$156

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-25.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.51 MX$156

$6.74 Ft 2,192

26.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.84 MX$217

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-19.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.0

$1.84 Ft 597

48.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.16

$2.01 Ft 653

-20.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 MX$35.16

$2.36 Ft 767

-19.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$34.05

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-50.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.01

$0.96 Ft 313

104.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.19

$1.03 Ft 334

86.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$26.54

$1.56 Ft 509

-7.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$20.31

$0.66 Ft 216

68.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 MX$79.5

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-45.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 MX$195

$6.01 Ft 1,954

77.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 MX$33.71

$1.30 Ft 421

41.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 MX$59.8

$2.08 Ft 676

56.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.66

$1.50 Ft 489

-54.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 MX$47.44

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-21.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 MX$37.79

$1.30 Ft 424

58.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.28 MX$207

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-42.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.14

$1.81 Ft 591

-18.23%

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

$21.2K MX$389.4K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-27.68%

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

$24.9K MX$456.6K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-27.09%

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

$62.4 MX$1,146

$170 Ft 55.3K

-63.26%

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

$22.44 MX$412

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-6.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.41 MX$558

$23.42 Ft 7,621

29.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.79 MX$639

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-47.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.65 MX$379

$19.18 Ft 6,239

7.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 MX$95.8

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-45.17%

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

$224 MX$4,105

$537 Ft 174.6K

-58.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,654 MX$85.5K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-71.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 MX$1,012

$101 Ft 33.0K

-45.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$778

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-1.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,891

$113 Ft 36.7K

-8.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 MX$1,697

$119 Ft 38.6K

-22.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 MX$11.3K

$805 Ft 262.0K

-23.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 MX$7,341

$629 Ft 204.7K

-36.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 MX$19.7K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-30.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$786 MX$14.4K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-32.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,927 MX$35.4K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-65.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,151 MX$21.1K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-71.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.43

75.74%

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

Last update for Nogales: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nogales

$400 34.4%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 57.4% $229

Groceries & Markets

Nogales

$269 23.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 4.1% $11

Eating Out

Nogales

$187 16.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 20% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Nogales

$132 11.3%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 28.3% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nogales

$115 9.9%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 88.5% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Nogales

$45 3.9%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 88.6% $40

Getting Around

Nogales

$16 * 1.3%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 178% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $614 in Nogales 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Nogales versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Nogales vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Nogales

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

00:30 12:30 AM

09:30 9:30 AM

9 h ahead of Nogales

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

261,137

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 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

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Between locations

Nogales Budapest 9,930 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nogales
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

Nogales vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,707 per month in Nogales 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 Nogales, 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 $45.00 in Nogales and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nogales, where all-in costs run around $1,138, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Nogales it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nogales – 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 Nogales. 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.