Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Varas and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Varas: $1,130 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Puerto Varas
🇨🇱 Chile
$1,130
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Puerto Varas vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Puerto Varas $1,130
  • Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,624 per month in Puerto Varas vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Puerto Varas $1,624
  • Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,118 per month in Puerto Varas vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Puerto Varas $2,118
  • Budapest $3,429

Puerto Varas is about 30% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Puerto Varas sits 16% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Puerto Varas
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.47 CLP 12.3K
$13.94 Ft 4,503
-10.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.05 CLP 40.4K
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
-32.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.58 CLP 7,462
$10.19 Ft 3,291
-25.61%
Cappuccino
$3.28 CLP 3,231
$3.26 Ft 1,055
0.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 CLP 977
$2.14 Ft 690
-53.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 CLP 785
$1.78 Ft 577
-55.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.71 Ft 1,198
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.77 Ft 1,217
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Puerto Varas
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 CLP 1,077
$1.15 Ft 371
-5.22%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 CLP 1,830
$1.79 Ft 578
3.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 CLP 1,582
$2.49 Ft 804
-35.34%
Eggs
$3.11 CLP 3,062
$3.90 Ft 1,261
-20.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 CLP 8,476
$11.10 Ft 3,587
-22.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.68 CLP 4,609
$6.62 Ft 2,139
-29.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.50 CLP 8,372
$14.69 Ft 4,745
-42.14%
Apples (1kg)
$1.78 CLP 1,751
$1.83 Ft 591
-2.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 CLP 1,922
$2.05 Ft 661
-4.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.61 CLP 2,565
$2.37 Ft 765
10.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.89 CLP 1,862
$3.90 Ft 1,260
-51.54%
Potato (1kg)
$1.50 CLP 1,480
$0.99 Ft 320
51.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.25 CLP 1,230
$1.00 Ft 322
25.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 CLP 1,296
$1.58 Ft 511
-16.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 CLP 1,117
$0.67 Ft 216
68.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.96 CLP 4,884
$7.96 Ft 2,572
-37.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.63 CLP 4,557
$6.22 Ft 2,009
-25.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 CLP 1,379
$1.27 Ft 411
10.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.25 CLP 1,226
$2.03 Ft 654
-38.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Puerto Varas
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.10 CLP 1,078
$1.52 Ft 490
-27.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$28.02 Ft 9,053
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.31 Ft 1,070
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.37 Ft 442
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$19.83 Ft 6,406
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
-
$1.82 Ft 589
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Puerto Varas
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$255 CLP 251.2K
$171 Ft 55.3K
49.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.06 CLP 15.8K
$23.51 Ft 7,596
-31.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
-
$23.29 Ft 7,526
-
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Puerto Varas
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.89 CLP 30.4K
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
-54.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.89 Ft 6,104
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$9.30 Ft 3,004
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Puerto Varas
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$488 CLP 480.6K
$533 Ft 172.3K
-8.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,137 CLP 6.0M
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
-63.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Puerto Varas
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$20.37 CLP 20.1K
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
-79.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$15.32 CLP 15.1K
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
-64.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.1 CLP 60.1K
$110 Ft 35.7K
-44.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$119 Ft 38.4K
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Puerto Varas
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$623 CLP 612.8K
$830 Ft 268.3K
-25.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$402 CLP 396.0K
$622 Ft 200.9K
-35.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$819 CLP 805.9K
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
-48.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$619 CLP 609.7K
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
-47.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Puerto Varas
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$532 CLP 523.5K
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
-67.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
6.45
-

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

Last update for Puerto Varas: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Puerto Varas
$402
Budapest
$622 54.6% $220
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Puerto Varas
$271 *
Budapest
$218 19.7% $53
Groceries & Markets
Puerto Varas
$208
Budapest
$258 23.8% $50
Eating Out
Puerto Varas
$169 *
Budapest
$223 31.9% $54
Clothing & Footwear
Puerto Varas
$44 *
Budapest
$168 285% $124
Sport & Entertainment
Puerto Varas
$31 *
Budapest
$86 179% $55
Getting Around
Puerto Varas
$4.4 *
Budapest
$44 910% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $623 in Puerto Varas versus $830 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 210% 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 $41.00 in Puerto Varas versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $208 vs $258 – making Puerto Varas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇱 Puerto Varas
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
06:52 6:52 AM
11:52 11:52 AM
5 h ahead of Puerto Varas
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
41,255
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Puerto Varas Budapest 13,380 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Puerto Varas
  • 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
Puerto Varas vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Budapest cheaper than Puerto Varas?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,694 per month in Puerto Varas and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto Varas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Puerto Varas or in Budapest?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Puerto Varas and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Puerto Varas and in Budapest?
Groceries cost about 24% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Puerto Varas or in Budapest?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Varas, where all-in costs run around $1,130, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Puerto Varas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Puerto Varas or Budapest more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Puerto Varas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Puerto Varas or Budapest?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Puerto Varas. 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.

Puerto Varas vs other spots: cost of living compared

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