Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tena and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $831 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Tena
Learn more

Tena Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$831

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $831 per month in Tena vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Tena $831
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,425 per month in Tena vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Tena $1,425
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,018 per month in Tena vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Tena $2,018
Budapest $3,429

Tena is about 49% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tena sits 38% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.03 $6.03

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-56.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 $54.9

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-10.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 $7.61

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-25.32%

Cappuccino

$3.39 $3.39

$3.26 Ft 1,055

3.99%

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

$1.38 $1.38

$2.14 Ft 690

-35.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.78 Ft 577

-38.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 $3.45

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-7.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$3.77 Ft 1,217

61.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.15 Ft 371

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.79 Ft 578

-14.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$2.49 Ft 804

-37.35%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-44.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-42.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-14.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 $7.77

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-47.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.83 Ft 591

21.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.05 Ft 661

-42.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.37 Ft 765

-46.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-71.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$0.99 Ft 320

20.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.00 Ft 322

7.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.58 Ft 511

-41.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$0.67 Ft 216

56.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 $5.87

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-26.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.91 $9.91

$6.22 Ft 2,009

59.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.27 Ft 411

25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.03 Ft 654

56.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.52 Ft 490

-78.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.94 $16.94

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-39.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 $1.51

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-54.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.37 Ft 442

-44.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 $9.95

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-49.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.82 Ft 589

-56.04%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-28.63%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-15.68%

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

$29.16 $29.16

$171 Ft 55.3K

-82.96%

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

$17.66 $17.66

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-24.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.72 $28.72

$23.29 Ft 7,526

23.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.43 $32.43

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-51.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.44 $15.44

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-18.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.45 $6.45

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-30.65%

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

$226 $226

$533 Ft 172.3K

-57.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,840 $8,840

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-47.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 $69.8

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-29.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

15.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$110 Ft 35.7K

3.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$119 Ft 38.4K

-10.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 $300

$830 Ft 268.3K

-63.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 $186

$622 Ft 200.9K

-70.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 $728

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-54.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 $417

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-64.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,120 $1,120

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-80.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$717 $717

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-81.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

6.45

56.90%

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

Last update for Tena: 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

Tena

$197 23.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 30.7% $61

Accommodation & Living

Tena

$186 22.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 235% $436

Clothing & Footwear

Tena

$153 18.4%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 9.5% $15

Eating Out

Tena

$151 18.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 47.5% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tena

$76 9.1%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 189% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Tena

$45 5.5%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 90% $41

Getting Around

Tena

$24 2.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 87.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $300 in Tena 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 $55.0 in Tena versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $258 – making Tena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Tena

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

04:23 4:23 AM

7 h ahead of Tena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,669

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

HUF to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tena Budapest 10,600 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Tena
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

Tena vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,247 per month in Tena 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 Tena, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Tena. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $226 per month in Tena and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tena, where all-in costs run around $831, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Tena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tena – 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 Tena. 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.