Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puebla and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Puebla: $1,161 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Puebla
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Puebla Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Puebla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,161

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,161 per month in Puebla vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Puebla $1,161
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,853 per month in Puebla vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Puebla $1,853
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,545 per month in Puebla vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Puebla $2,545
Budapest $3,489

Puebla is about 28% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Puebla sits 13% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.88 MX$180

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-29.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.13 MX$876

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-20.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 MX$171

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-5.32%

Cappuccino

$3.35 MX$60.9

$3.38 Ft 1,102

-0.89%

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

$1.54 MX$28.05

$2.13 Ft 693

-27.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$21.59

$1.87 Ft 609

-36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 MX$51.9

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-24.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 MX$70.1

$3.57 Ft 1,163

7.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$28.77

$1.13 Ft 369

39.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 MX$56.3

$1.84 Ft 600

68.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 MX$33.67

$2.39 Ft 777

-22.59%

Eggs

$3.46 MX$62.9

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-9.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.70 MX$122

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-40.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.77 MX$105

$6.74 Ft 2,194

-14.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.22 MX$204

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-23.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$49.42

$1.84 Ft 598

47.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.44

$2.01 Ft 654

-13.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$35.68

$2.36 Ft 767

-16.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.30

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-45.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 MX$38.22

$0.96 Ft 314

118.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MX$36.81

$1.03 Ft 335

96.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$27.89

$1.56 Ft 509

-1.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$23.91

$0.66 Ft 216

98.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$95.0

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-34.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.06 MX$256

$6.01 Ft 1,956

133.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 MX$26.02

$1.30 Ft 422

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 MX$46.66

$2.08 Ft 677

23.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$10.25

$1.50 Ft 490

-62.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.50 MX$446

$27.61 Ft 8,991

-11.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 MX$99.2

$3.30 Ft 1,075

65.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 MX$36.04

$1.30 Ft 424

52.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.74 MX$286

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-20.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$27.45

$1.81 Ft 591

-16.57%

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

$21.5K MX$391.6K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-26.60%

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

$25.1K MX$456.0K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-26.51%

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

$62.1 MX$1,129

$170 Ft 55.3K

-63.48%

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

$18.96 MX$345

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-20.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.89 MX$434

$23.42 Ft 7,628

2.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.50 MX$773

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-35.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.53 MX$246

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-29.46%

Cinema Ticket

$5.69 MX$103

$9.52 Ft 3,101

-40.23%

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

$416 MX$7,562

$537 Ft 174.8K

-22.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K MX$367.3K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

21.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 MX$1,062

$101 Ft 33.0K

-42.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.0 MX$1,128

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

44.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,846

$113 Ft 36.7K

-9.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.8 MX$1,761

$119 Ft 38.7K

-18.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 MX$11.6K

$805 Ft 262.2K

-20.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 MX$6,439

$629 Ft 204.9K

-43.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 MX$16.0K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-43.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.1K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-43.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,660 MX$30.2K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-70.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$905 MX$16.5K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-77.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 MX$12.1K

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-59.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.96

6.43

70.45%

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

Last update for Puebla: 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

Puebla

$354 31%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 77.7% $275

Groceries & Markets

Puebla

$265 23.2%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 2.9% $7.7

Eating Out

Puebla

$180 15.8%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 24.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Puebla

$143 12.5%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 17.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puebla

$105 9.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 107% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Puebla

$54 4.7%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 58.3% $31

Getting Around

Puebla

$42 3.7%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 3.1% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $639 in Puebla 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 145% 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 $48.00 in Puebla versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $265 in Puebla vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Puebla

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

19:05 7:05 PM

03:05 3:05 AM

8 h ahead of Puebla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,542,232

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

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Between locations

Puebla Budapest 10,340 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Puebla
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

Puebla vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,741 per month in Puebla 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 Puebla, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Puebla. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $416 per month in Puebla and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Puebla, where all-in costs run around $1,161, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Puebla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Puebla – 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 Puebla. 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.