Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Philipsburg and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,149 in Philipsburg, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Philipsburg
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Philipsburg Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Philipsburg

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,149

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,149 per month in Philipsburg vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Philipsburg $3,149
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $6,004 per month in Philipsburg vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Philipsburg $6,004
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $8,859 per month in Philipsburg vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Philipsburg $8,859
Budapest $3,489

Philipsburg costs about 94% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Philipsburg and Budapest sit above the global median – Philipsburg by 135%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.49 ANG 27.73

$13.99 Ft 4,551

10.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.8 ANG 127

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

17.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 ANG 14.39

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-19.28%

Cappuccino

$4.38 ANG 7.83

$3.38 Ft 1,100

29.59%

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

$2.90 ANG 5.19

$2.13 Ft 692

36.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 ANG 7.35

$1.87 Ft 608

119.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 ANG 5.31

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-20.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 ANG 11.72

$3.57 Ft 1,162

83.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.06 ANG 5.48

$1.13 Ft 368

170.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 ANG 4.72

$1.84 Ft 599

43.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ANG 4.53

$2.39 Ft 777

5.86%

Eggs

$6.54 ANG 11.70

$3.83 Ft 1,245

70.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.69 ANG 33.46

$11.33 Ft 3,686

64.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.75 ANG 24.61

$6.74 Ft 2,192

104.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 ANG 26.66

$14.69 Ft 4,780

1.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 ANG 9.07

$1.84 Ft 597

175.54%

Banana (1kg)

$5.07 ANG 9.08

$2.01 Ft 653

152.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$9.20 ANG 16.46

$2.36 Ft 767

289.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.58 ANG 13.57

$3.77 Ft 1,226

101.06%

Potato (1kg)

$4.06 ANG 7.27

$0.96 Ft 313

322.92%

Onion (1kg)

$4.04 ANG 7.22

$1.03 Ft 334

292.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.88 ANG 8.74

$1.56 Ft 509

212.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ANG 2.40

$0.66 Ft 216

103.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 ANG 14.61

$7.96 Ft 2,591

2.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 ANG 19.37

$6.01 Ft 1,954

80.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.13 ANG 9.19

$1.30 Ft 421

294.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ANG 4.05

$1.50 Ft 489

50.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$1.47 ANG 2.63

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-94.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.04 ANG 26.92

$3.30 Ft 1,074

355.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

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

$152 ANG 271

$170 Ft 55.3K

-10.85%

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

$32.40 ANG 58.0

$23.98 Ft 7,802

35.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 ANG 118

$23.42 Ft 7,621

180.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 ANG 112

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-5.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$10.92 ANG 19.54

$9.52 Ft 3,098

14.71%

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

$248 ANG 443

$537 Ft 174.6K

-53.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ANG 21.4K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-27.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 ANG 3,840

$805 Ft 262.0K

166.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,994 ANG 3,570

$629 Ft 204.7K

216.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,614 ANG 11.8K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

326.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,466 ANG 11.6K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

454.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,132 ANG 2,026

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-30.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

-22.24%

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

Last update for Philipsburg: 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

Philipsburg

$2K 64.2%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 68.5% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Philipsburg

$496 * 16%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 48.1% $239

Eating Out

Philipsburg

$256 8.3%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 12.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Philipsburg

$250 8%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 13% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Philipsburg

$85 2.7%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 0.9% $0.7

Getting Around

Philipsburg

$26 * 0.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 70% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Philipsburg

- * 0%

Budapest

$169 10.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,145 in Philipsburg 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 44% 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 $71.0 in Philipsburg versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $496 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇽 Philipsburg

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

09:30 9:30 AM

6 h ahead of Philipsburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,900 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.498 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ANG – Netherlands Antillean Guilder Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ƒ)

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.498 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 ANG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Philipsburg Budapest 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Philipsburg
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

Philipsburg vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Philipsburg is pricier by about 94%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,723 per month in Philipsburg 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 1778% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $248 per month in Philipsburg 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 Philipsburg at $3,149. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Philipsburg 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, Philipsburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.