Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in San Juan and in Budapest: $1,684 and $1,619 a month, rent and utilities included.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,684

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,684 per month in San Juan vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

San Juan $1,684
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,772 per month in San Juan vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

San Juan $2,772
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,861 per month in San Juan vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

San Juan $3,861
Budapest $3,429

San Juan costs about 4% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Juan and Budapest sit above the global median – San Juan by 25%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,541

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-11.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

0.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 ₡5,139

$10.19 Ft 3,291

12.46%

Cappuccino

$4.42 ₡1,982

$3.26 Ft 1,055

35.58%

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

$2.77 ₡1,240

$2.14 Ft 690

29.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡870

$1.78 Ft 577

8.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 ₡1,483

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-10.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡1,996

$3.77 Ft 1,217

18.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₡1,052

$1.15 Ft 371

103.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₡1,425

$1.79 Ft 578

77.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.49 Ft 804

0.80%

Eggs

$3.46 ₡1,551

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-11.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.66 ₡4,782

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-3.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 ₡4,633

$6.62 Ft 2,139

56.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 ₡6,233

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-5.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 ₡2,230

$1.83 Ft 591

171.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$2.05 Ft 661

-22.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 ₡2,079

$2.37 Ft 765

95.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,771

$3.90 Ft 1,260

1.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,731

$0.99 Ft 320

289.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,684

$1.00 Ft 322

275.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡479

$1.58 Ft 511

-32.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 ₡1,379

$0.67 Ft 216

359.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,691

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-24.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.72 ₡8,844

$6.22 Ft 2,009

217.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₡1,236

$1.27 Ft 411

117.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,654

$2.03 Ft 654

81.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ₡614

$1.52 Ft 490

-9.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 ₡1,079

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-27.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡693

$1.37 Ft 442

12.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.58 ₡3,849

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-56.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡695

$1.82 Ft 589

-14.84%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-27.40%

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

$34.9K ₡15.6M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

3.12%

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

$96.4 ₡43.2K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-43.68%

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

$35.06 ₡15.7K

$23.51 Ft 7,596

49.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.3 ₡26.6K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

154.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 ₡30.0K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-0.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ₡3,362

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-19.35%

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

$1,001 ₡449.1K

$533 Ft 172.3K

87.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

0.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 ₡31.8K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-28.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.8K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

27.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡56.6K

$110 Ft 35.7K

14.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.2K

$119 Ft 38.4K

12.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₡321.3K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-13.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 ₡266.1K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-4.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,850 ₡829.6K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

16.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 ₡621.4K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

18.39%

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 %)

8.62

6.45

33.64%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$593 35.2%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 4.8% $29

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$398 23.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 35.2% $140

Eating Out

San Juan

$231 13.7%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 3.3% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$191 11.3%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 14.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$174 10.3%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 3.7% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$82 4.9%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 5.2% $4.2

Getting Around

San Juan

$16 * 0.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 183% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $717 in San Juan 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 $61.0 in San Juan versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $398 in San Juan vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Juan

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

16:01 4:01 PM

8 h ahead of San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

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 Juan Budapest 10,160 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – San Juan is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,526 per month in San Juan 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in San Juan and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in San Juan, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in San Juan at $1,684. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Juan 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 Juan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.