Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Maria and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $743 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
Learn more

Santa Maria Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$743

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $743 per month in Santa Maria vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Santa Maria $743
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,242 per month in Santa Maria vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Santa Maria $1,242
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,742 per month in Santa Maria vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Santa Maria $1,742
Budapest $3,429

Santa Maria is about 54% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Santa Maria sits 45% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.45 R$27.65

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-60.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.62 R$186

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-40.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 R$34.57

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-33.07%

Cappuccino

$1.85 R$9.36

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-43.25%

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

$1.07 R$5.40

$2.14 Ft 690

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.46

$1.78 Ft 577

-61.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.63 R$8.29

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-56.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 R$15.55

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-18.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.15 Ft 371

-9.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 R$8.31

$1.79 Ft 578

-8.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.48

$2.49 Ft 804

-56.63%

Eggs

$2.10 R$10.64

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-46.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 R$47.80

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-15.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 R$20.07

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-40.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.20 R$41.58

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-44.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 R$12.57

$1.83 Ft 591

35.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 R$7.61

$2.05 Ft 661

-26.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.91

$2.37 Ft 765

-42.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.75

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-60.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$5.88

$0.99 Ft 320

17.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 R$5.71

$1.00 Ft 322

13.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.37

$1.58 Ft 511

-45.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.12

$0.67 Ft 216

20.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.38 R$12.07

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-70.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$41.44

$6.22 Ft 2,009

31.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R$5.77

$1.27 Ft 411

-10.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 R$11.09

$2.03 Ft 654

7.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$1.52 Ft 490

-33.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 R$155

$28.02 Ft 9,053

8.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$6.70

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-60.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R$4.39

$1.37 Ft 442

-36.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.16 R$41.36

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-58.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.21

$1.82 Ft 589

-32.42%

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

$23.9K R$121.2K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-19.74%

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

$32.6K R$165.3K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-3.59%

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

$53.4 R$271

$171 Ft 55.3K

-68.78%

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

$12.65 R$64.1

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-46.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.66 R$84.5

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-28.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.82 R$121

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-64.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.05 R$61.1

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-36.21%

Cinema Ticket

$5.66 R$28.68

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-39.14%

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

$163 R$828

$533 Ft 172.3K

-69.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,049 R$15.5K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-81.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 R$260

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-48.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.38 R$220

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-0.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 R$486

$110 Ft 35.7K

-13.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.3 R$316

$119 Ft 38.4K

-47.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$293 R$1,486

$830 Ft 268.3K

-64.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 R$870

$622 Ft 200.9K

-72.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$648 R$3,285

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-59.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 R$1,982

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-66.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,029 R$10.3K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-65.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$674 R$3,416

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-82.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$637 R$3,227

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-61.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

55.04%

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

Last update for Santa Maria: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Maria

$192 25.9%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 34.3% $66

Accommodation & Living

Santa Maria

$172 23.1%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 263% $450

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Maria

$114 15.3%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 47.3% $54

Eating Out

Santa Maria

$108 14.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 107% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Maria

$83 11.1%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 163% $135

Getting Around

Santa Maria

$40 5.4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 10% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Maria

$35 4.7%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 145% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $293 in Santa Maria 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 159% 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 $37.00 in Santa Maria versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $258 – making Santa Maria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

10:21 10:21 AM

5 h ahead of Santa Maria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,735

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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Maria Budapest 11,240 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Maria
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 Maria vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,114 per month in Santa Maria 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 Maria, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Santa Maria. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $163 per month in Santa Maria 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 Maria, where all-in costs run around $743, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Santa Maria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Maria – 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 Maria. 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.