Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, Laguna and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $626 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$626

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $626 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $626
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $931 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $931
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,236 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,236
Budapest $3,429

Santa Cruz, Laguna is about 61% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Santa Cruz, Laguna sits 54% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.57 ₱99.0

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-88.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.09 ₱509

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-86.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.76 ₱174

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-72.91%

Cappuccino

$1.78 ₱112

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-45.40%

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

$0.38 ₱23.98

$2.14 Ft 690

-82.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.42

$1.78 Ft 577

-87.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱62.2

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-73.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₱62.1

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-73.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ₱103

$1.15 Ft 371

41.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱72.9

$1.79 Ft 578

-35.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₱63.3

$2.49 Ft 804

-59.84%

Eggs

$1.55 ₱97.5

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-60.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.65 ₱293

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-58.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 ₱220

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-47.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 ₱445

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-51.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 ₱92.1

$1.83 Ft 591

-20.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.46 ₱28.85

$2.05 Ft 661

-77.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 ₱91.0

$2.37 Ft 765

-39.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.2

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-73.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 ₱111

$0.99 Ft 320

77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 ₱109

$1.00 Ft 322

74.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₱41.99

$1.58 Ft 511

-57.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.46

$0.67 Ft 216

-20.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱182

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-63.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 ₱541

$6.22 Ft 2,009

38.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.0

$1.27 Ft 411

-23.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₱131

$2.03 Ft 654

2.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.40

$1.52 Ft 490

-86.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.41 ₱718

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-59.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.2

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-75.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$1.37 Ft 442

-83.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ₱121

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-90.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$1.82 Ft 589

-31.32%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-28.86%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-43.07%

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

$85.1 ₱5,359

$171 Ft 55.3K

-50.26%

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

$17.58 ₱1,107

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-25.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.61 ₱1,487

$23.29 Ft 7,526

1.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.48 ₱1,982

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-53.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.14 ₱261

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-78.08%

Cinema Ticket

$5.13 ₱323

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-44.84%

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

$134 ₱8,442

$533 Ft 172.3K

-74.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱675.9K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-35.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.89 ₱1,819

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-71.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.72 ₱1,242

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-54.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ₱4,565

$110 Ft 35.7K

-34.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.8 ₱3,515

$119 Ft 38.4K

-53.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 ₱15.2K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-70.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 ₱9,895

$622 Ft 200.9K

-74.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 ₱29.9K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-70.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₱19.0K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-74.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,296 ₱144.5K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-60.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$886 ₱55.8K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-77.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.45

4.65%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: 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

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$157 25.1%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 296% $465

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$156 24.9%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 65.7% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$126 20.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 72.5% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$80 12.7%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 111% $88

Eating Out

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$52 8.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 332% $171

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$42 6.7%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 106% $44

Getting Around

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 211% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $242 in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 $8.00 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $156 vs $258 – making Santa Cruz, Laguna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

03:10 3:10 AM

6 h behind Santa Cruz, Laguna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,574

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz, Laguna Budapest 9,740 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz, Laguna
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, Laguna vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 158%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $940 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 Santa Cruz, Laguna, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 146% less in Santa Cruz, Laguna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $134 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $533 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, Laguna, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Santa Cruz, Laguna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Cruz, Laguna – 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, Laguna. 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.