Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz do Sul and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul: $949 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz do Sul
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Santa Cruz do Sul Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Santa Cruz do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$949

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $949 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Santa Cruz do Sul $949
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,519 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Santa Cruz do Sul $1,519
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $2,089 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Santa Cruz do Sul $2,089
Budapest $3,483

Santa Cruz do Sul is about 42% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Santa Cruz do Sul sits 30% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 R$30.23

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-57.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.87 R$182

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-41.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.10 R$35.99

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-31.53%

Cappuccino

$2.24 R$11.36

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-35.26%

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

$1.35 R$6.82

$2.07 Ft 669

-34.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.46

$1.77 Ft 572

-50.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 R$8.82

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-52.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 R$13.70

$3.80 Ft 1,229

-28.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 R$4.45

$1.16 Ft 374

-24.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.15

$1.85 Ft 598

-2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.07

$2.40 Ft 776

-42.08%

Eggs

$2.24 R$11.36

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-43.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 R$45.45

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-21.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.80 R$24.32

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-30.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.87 R$39.91

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-45.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R$11.06

$1.88 Ft 607

15.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.63

$2.14 Ft 693

-48.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.99

$2.30 Ft 744

-48.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$7.73

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-62.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.37

$1.02 Ft 329

23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.12

$0.99 Ft 320

22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 R$4.52

$1.58 Ft 510

-43.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.42

$0.70 Ft 225

24.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.33 R$11.80

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-70.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.22 R$36.60

$6.18 Ft 1,997

16.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R$5.91

$1.24 Ft 401

-5.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 R$10.11

$2.06 Ft 666

-3.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.59 Ft 513

-37.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.92 R$248

$27.52 Ft 8,893

77.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.91

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-65.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.33 Ft 431

-30.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.79 R$39.50

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-61.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 R$5.64

$1.93 Ft 624

-42.49%

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

$20.3K R$103.1K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-30.19%

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

$33.4K R$169.4K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-3.78%

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

$86.3 R$438

$175 Ft 56.4K

-50.56%

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

$13.08 R$66.3

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-44.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.04 R$117

$23.60 Ft 7,625

-2.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.93 R$131

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-62.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.49 R$124

$19.26 Ft 6,224

27.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 R$38.85

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-25.70%

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

$288 R$1,462

$535 Ft 172.9K

-46.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,499 R$32.9K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-61.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.59 R$251

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-50.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 R$281

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

28.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 R$503

$112 Ft 36.1K

-11.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.8 R$333

$119 Ft 38.4K

-44.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 R$2,702

$832 Ft 268.8K

-35.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 R$1,499

$629 Ft 203.3K

-53.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 R$4,697

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-41.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 R$3,075

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-49.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,850 R$9,380

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-67.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 R$6,021

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-69.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$373 R$1,889

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

-78.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

70.54%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz do Sul: October 17, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz do Sul

$296 31.2%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 113% $333

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz do Sul

$190 20.1%

Budapest

$262 16% 37.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz do Sul

$122 12.9%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 81.2% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz do Sul

$121 12.8%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 38.5% $47

Eating Out

Santa Cruz do Sul

$119 12.5%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 90.4% $107

Getting Around

Santa Cruz do Sul

$59 6.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 25% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz do Sul

$41 4.4%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 117% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $533 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $832 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 360% 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 $36.00 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $262 – making Santa Cruz do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Cruz do Sul

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

01:31 1:31 AM

5 h ahead of Santa Cruz do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,246

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz do Sul Budapest 11,150 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz do Sul
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

Santa Cruz do Sul vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,423 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul and $2,461 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 78% less in Santa Cruz do Sul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $288 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul and $535 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz do Sul, where all-in costs run around $949, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Santa Cruz do Sul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Cruz do Sul – 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 Santa Cruz do Sul. 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.