Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toluca and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Toluca: $1,098 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Toluca
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Toluca Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Toluca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,098

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,098 per month in Toluca vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Toluca $1,098
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,844 per month in Toluca vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Toluca $1,844
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $2,589 per month in Toluca vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Toluca $2,589
Budapest $3,483

Toluca is about 33% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Toluca sits 19% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.03 MX$204

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-21.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.85 MX$792

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-29.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.09 MX$168

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-12.34%

Cappuccino

$3.14 MX$58.0

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-9.25%

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

$1.26 MX$23.24

$2.07 Ft 669

-39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 MX$13.97

$1.77 Ft 572

-57.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-42.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 MX$60.8

$3.80 Ft 1,229

-13.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.71

$1.16 Ft 374

52.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 MX$57.7

$1.85 Ft 598

68.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 MX$40.28

$2.40 Ft 776

-9.17%

Eggs

$3.05 MX$56.3

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-23.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.94 MX$147

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-30.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.36 MX$155

$6.87 Ft 2,221

21.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.91 MX$165

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-38.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.08 MX$75.3

$1.88 Ft 607

117.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 MX$39.00

$2.14 Ft 693

-1.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.07

$2.30 Ft 744

-3.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 MX$42.16

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-43.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 MX$52.2

$1.02 Ft 329

176.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 MX$42.58

$0.99 Ft 320

132.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 MX$30.26

$1.58 Ft 510

3.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.07

$0.70 Ft 225

47.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.87 MX$90.0

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-39.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.25 MX$226

$6.18 Ft 1,997

98.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 MX$36.76

$1.24 Ft 401

60.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 MX$67.5

$2.06 Ft 666

77.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$13.92

$1.59 Ft 513

-52.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 MX$59.0

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-6.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 MX$37.22

$1.33 Ft 431

51.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.17 MX$188

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-50.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.66

$1.93 Ft 624

-25.39%

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

$24.6K MX$454.6K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-15.57%

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

$23.5K MX$433.9K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-32.38%

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

$58.1 MX$1,074

$175 Ft 56.4K

-66.72%

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

$25.04 MX$463

$23.62 Ft 7,631

6.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.71 MX$586

$23.60 Ft 7,625

34.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.08 MX$889

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-30.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 MX$419

$19.26 Ft 6,224

17.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.95 MX$128

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-32.59%

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

$224 MX$4,131

$535 Ft 172.9K

-58.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,244 MX$96.9K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-68.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 MX$1,233

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-33.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 MX$992

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

24.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,920

$112 Ft 36.1K

-6.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 MX$1,923

$119 Ft 38.4K

-12.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 MX$13.0K

$832 Ft 268.8K

-15.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 MX$5,345

$629 Ft 203.3K

-54.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$972 MX$18.0K

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-38.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$703 MX$13.0K

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-41.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,296 MX$24.0K

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-77.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$915 MX$16.9K

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-76.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,273 MX$23.5K

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

-25.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.07

6.45

71.63%

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

Last update for Toluca: October 19, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Toluca

$289 26.4%

Budapest

$262 16% 9.5% $28

Accommodation & Living

Toluca

$289 26.3%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 118% $340

Eating Out

Toluca

$178 16.3%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 26.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Toluca

$148 13.5%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 13.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toluca

$115 10.5%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 93.1% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Toluca

$62 5.7%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 44.4% $27

Getting Around

Toluca

$16 * 1.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 170% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Toluca 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 35% 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 $43.00 in Toluca versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $289 in Toluca vs $262 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Toluca

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

18:06 6:06 PM

02:06 2:06 AM

8 h ahead of Toluca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,876

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toluca Budapest 10,410 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Toluca
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

Toluca vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,647 per month in Toluca 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 Toluca, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Toluca and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Toluca, where all-in costs run around $1,098, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Toluca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Toluca – 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 Toluca. 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.