Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Francisco and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in San Francisco and in Budapest: $1,672 and $1,619 a month, rent and utilities included.

81

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco
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San Francisco Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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San Francisco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,672

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,672 per month in San Francisco vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

San Francisco $1,672
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,668 per month in San Francisco vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

San Francisco $2,668
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,664 per month in San Francisco vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

San Francisco $3,664
Budapest $3,429

San Francisco costs about 3% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Francisco and Budapest sit above the global median – San Francisco by 24%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.08 ₡4,520

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-27.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 ₡27.7K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

0.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 ₡4,947

$10.19 Ft 3,291

8.24%

Cappuccino

$4.33 ₡1,941

$3.26 Ft 1,055

32.82%

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

$1.30 ₡582

$2.14 Ft 690

-39.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ₡810

$1.78 Ft 577

1.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,504

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-9.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 ₡1,932

$3.77 Ft 1,217

14.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₡1,039

$1.15 Ft 371

101.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 ₡1,360

$1.79 Ft 578

69.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,095

$2.49 Ft 804

-2.01%

Eggs

$3.51 ₡1,575

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.83 ₡4,859

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-2.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,677

$6.62 Ft 2,139

57.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 ₡6,192

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-5.99%

Apples (1kg)

$5.00 ₡2,241

$1.83 Ft 591

173.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.05 Ft 661

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.85 ₡2,177

$2.37 Ft 765

104.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,777

$3.90 Ft 1,260

1.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,683

$0.99 Ft 320

278.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.59 ₡1,609

$1.00 Ft 322

259.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡483

$1.58 Ft 511

-31.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,435

$0.67 Ft 216

377.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.80 ₡2,601

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-27.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 ₡9,119

$6.22 Ft 2,009

226.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,262

$1.27 Ft 411

121.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,642

$2.03 Ft 654

80.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 ₡602

$1.52 Ft 490

-11.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$28.02 Ft 9,053

132.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 ₡800

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-46.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

$1.37 Ft 442

18.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.91 ₡3,994

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-55.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ₡667

$1.82 Ft 589

-18.13%

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

$22.0K ₡9.9M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-26.24%

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

$35.0K ₡15.7M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

3.60%

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

$76.3 ₡34.2K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-55.41%

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

$33.48 ₡15.0K

$23.51 Ft 7,596

42.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.18 ₡21.6K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

106.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.2 ₡33.3K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

9.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-19.14%

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

$973 ₡436.4K

$533 Ft 172.3K

82.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ₡7.5M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

0.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 ₡31.9K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-28.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.8K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

26.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.7 ₡29.9K

$110 Ft 35.7K

-39.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.8 ₡24.1K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-54.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$808 ₡362.4K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-2.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₡282.0K

$622 Ft 200.9K

1.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,914 ₡858.5K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

20.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 ₡568.0K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

8.22%

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)

$892 ₡400.1K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-45.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.45

33.64%

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

Last update for San Francisco: 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

San Francisco

$629 37.6%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 1.1% $6.9

Groceries & Markets

San Francisco

$401 24%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 35.6% $143

Eating Out

San Francisco

$203 12.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 9.6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Francisco

$158 9.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 38% $60

Clothing & Footwear

San Francisco

$111 6.6%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 50.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

San Francisco

$89 5.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 3.5% $3.1

Getting Around

San Francisco

$81 4.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 45.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $808 in San Francisco 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 85% 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 $62.0 in San Francisco versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Francisco

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

15:19 3:19 PM

8 h ahead of San Francisco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,923

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Francisco Budapest 10,160 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

San Francisco
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

San Francisco vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Francisco is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,508 per month in San Francisco 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 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 133% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $973 per month in San Francisco and $533 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 $1,619, than in San Francisco at $1,672. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Francisco 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, San Francisco makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.