Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago de Compostela and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago de Compostela: $1,443 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,443

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,443 per month in Santiago de Compostela vs $1,638 in Budapest, rent included.

Santiago de Compostela $1,443
Budapest $1,638

A couple spends around $2,226 per month in Santiago de Compostela vs $2,553 in Budapest, rent included.

Santiago de Compostela $2,226
Budapest $2,553

A family of three spends $3,008 per month in Santiago de Compostela vs $3,467 in Budapest, rent included.

Santiago de Compostela $3,008
Budapest $3,467

Santiago de Compostela is about 12% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Santiago de Compostela and Budapest sit above the global median – Santiago de Compostela by 6%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.64 €12.25

$13.81 Ft 4,552

-1.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 €60.7

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

9.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 €8.47

$10.16 Ft 3,349

-7.19%

Cappuccino

$1.94 €1.74

$3.22 Ft 1,062

-39.75%

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

$2.78 €2.49

$2.06 Ft 680

34.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.92

$1.83 Ft 605

16.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 €2.66

$3.60 Ft 1,188

-17.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.55

$3.66 Ft 1,208

7.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.19 Ft 392

1.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.87 Ft 617

-37.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$2.37 Ft 780

-43.46%

Eggs

$2.80 €2.52

$3.96 Ft 1,305

-29.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 €8.22

$11.16 Ft 3,680

-18.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 €6.06

$6.76 Ft 2,228

-0.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 €14.82

$14.35 Ft 4,731

14.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.81 Ft 596

15.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.11 Ft 695

0.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.33 Ft 770

-36.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 €2.55

$3.80 Ft 1,254

-25.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.78

$0.99 Ft 327

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.98 Ft 324

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.55 Ft 512

-26.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.70 Ft 230

18.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.75 €5.17

$7.79 Ft 2,569

-26.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.91 €4.41

$6.05 Ft 1,995

-18.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.29

$1.28 Ft 421

11.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.13

$2.04 Ft 672

16.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.55 Ft 511

-18.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.86 €29.52

$27.28 Ft 8,995

20.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 €4.40

$3.30 Ft 1,087

48.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.31 Ft 433

3.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.97 €17.04

$20.26 Ft 6,679

-6.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.82 Ft 600

-2.75%

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

$34.9K €31.3K

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

21.34%

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

$29.7K €26.7K

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

-10.24%

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

$152 €137

$172 Ft 56.8K

-11.45%

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

$21.57 €19.37

$23.95 Ft 7,897

-9.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.85 €29.51

$23.31 Ft 7,685

40.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 €45.55

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

-26.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.27 €2.04

$18.91 Ft 6,235

-88.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 €9.17

$10.18 Ft 3,356

0.20%

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

$335 €301

$600 Ft 197.9K

-44.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,280 €7,438

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

-50.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 €80.9

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

-9.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 €57.6

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

48.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$113 Ft 37.2K

-9.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 €84.3

$117 Ft 38.6K

-19.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 €664

$836 Ft 275.6K

-11.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 €463

$640 Ft 210.9K

-19.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 €961

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

-33.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 €780

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

-27.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,100 €2,785

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

-44.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,153 €1,934

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

-43.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,694

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

12.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.96

6.45

-54.11%

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

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 25, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago de Compostela

$515 35.7%

Budapest

$640 39.1% 24.2% $125

Groceries & Markets

Santiago de Compostela

$239 16.6%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 7.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago de Compostela

$207 14.3%

Budapest

$219 13.4% 6.1% $13

Eating Out

Santiago de Compostela

$203 14.1%

Budapest

$221 13.5% 8.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago de Compostela

$158 10.9%

Budapest

$168 10.2% 6.2% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago de Compostela

$71 4.9%

Budapest

$89 5.4% 25.1% $18

Getting Around

Santiago de Compostela

$50 3.4%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 12.6% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $739 in Santiago de Compostela versus $836 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 13% higher in Santiago de Compostela, 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 $68 in Santiago de Compostela versus $61 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $239 in Santiago de Compostela vs $258 in Budapest – so Santiago de Compostela wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

Same time as Santiago de Compostela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,687

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santiago de Compostela Budapest 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Santiago de Compostela
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

Santiago de Compostela vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,164 per month in Santiago de Compostela and $2,457 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santiago de Compostela, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $739 there versus $836 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $335 per month in Santiago de Compostela and $600 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela and $1,638 in Budapest, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Santiago de Compostela – 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.