Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quetzaltenango and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetzaltenango: $1,148 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,148

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,148 per month in Quetzaltenango vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Quetzaltenango $1,148
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,444 per month in Quetzaltenango vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Quetzaltenango $1,444
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,741 per month in Quetzaltenango vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Quetzaltenango $1,741
Budapest $3,429

Quetzaltenango is about 29% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Quetzaltenango sits 15% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.78 Q 51.9

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-51.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.64 Q 380

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-18.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.66 Q 58.6

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-24.83%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Q 24.91

$3.26 Ft 1,055

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

$1.15 Q 8.77

$2.14 Ft 690

-46.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 Q 6.97

$1.78 Ft 577

-48.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 Q 25.60

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-9.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 Q 35.65

$3.77 Ft 1,217

23.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 Q 15.36

$1.15 Ft 371

74.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 Q 20.33

$1.79 Ft 578

48.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 Q 16.30

$2.49 Ft 804

-14.46%

Eggs

$2.51 Q 19.16

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-35.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.44 Q 49.23

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-41.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 Q 60.9

$6.62 Ft 2,139

20.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 Q 98.3

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-12.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 Q 21.90

$1.83 Ft 591

56.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 Q 13.02

$2.05 Ft 661

-17.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 Q 22.30

$2.37 Ft 765

23.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 Q 12.55

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-57.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 Q 11.81

$0.99 Ft 320

56.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 Q 16.71

$1.00 Ft 322

119.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 Q 5.31

$1.58 Ft 511

-56.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 Q 9.10

$0.67 Ft 216

77.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 Q 25.64

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-57.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 Q 61.9

$6.22 Ft 2,009

30.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Q 13.18

$1.27 Ft 411

35.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 Q 20.70

$2.03 Ft 654

33.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 Q 39.38

$3.31 Ft 1,070

55.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 Q 13.22

$1.37 Ft 442

26.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.56 Q 80.8

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-46.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 Q 10.57

$1.82 Ft 589

-24.18%

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

$27.5K Q 210.6K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-7.57%

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

$25.3K Q 193.3K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-25.24%

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

$72.7 Q 556

$171 Ft 55.3K

-57.49%

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

$13.06 Q 99.9

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-44.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.29 Q 354

$23.29 Ft 7,526

98.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.89 Q 251

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-51.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$6.35 Q 48.54

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-31.72%

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

$342 Q 2,611

$533 Ft 172.3K

-35.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,757 Q 51.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-59.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.0 Q 382

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-49.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.61 Q 356

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

7.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Q 844

$110 Ft 35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Q 857

$119 Ft 38.4K

-5.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 Q 3,037

$830 Ft 268.3K

-52.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 Q 3,046

$622 Ft 200.9K

-35.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

6.45

80.16%

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

Last update for Quetzaltenango: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quetzaltenango

$398 34.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 56.1% $224

Groceries & Markets

Quetzaltenango

$264 23%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 2.2% $5.7

Eating Out

Quetzaltenango

$151 13.1%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 48% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Quetzaltenango

$144 12.5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 16.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quetzaltenango

$132 11.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 65% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Quetzaltenango

$46 4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 88.9% $41

Getting Around

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 221% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Quetzaltenango 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Quetzaltenango versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $264 in Quetzaltenango vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

09:33 9:33 AM

8 h ahead of Quetzaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quetzaltenango Budapest 10,270 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Quetzaltenango
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

Quetzaltenango vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,722 per month in Quetzaltenango and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quetzaltenango, 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 $50.0 in Quetzaltenango and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quetzaltenango, where all-in costs run around $1,148, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Quetzaltenango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Quetzaltenango – 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 Quetzaltenango. 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.