Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulum and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulum: $1,252 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
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Tulum Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,252

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,252 per month in Tulum vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Tulum $1,252
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Tulum vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Tulum $2,131
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,010 per month in Tulum vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Tulum $3,010
Budapest $3,489

Tulum is about 23% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Tulum sits 7% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.26 MX$150

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-40.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 MX$1,026

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-6.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 MX$148

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-18.37%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$70.4

$3.38 Ft 1,102

14.50%

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

$1.14 MX$20.80

$2.13 Ft 693

-46.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.42

$1.87 Ft 609

-36.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 MX$53.5

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-21.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 MX$69.1

$3.57 Ft 1,163

6.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$28.75

$1.13 Ft 369

39.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 MX$36.31

$1.84 Ft 600

8.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 MX$31.71

$2.39 Ft 777

-27.20%

Eggs

$1.89 MX$34.29

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-50.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.55 MX$101

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-51.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 MX$144

$6.74 Ft 2,194

17.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.09 MX$165

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-38.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MX$48.31

$1.84 Ft 598

44.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$25.75

$2.01 Ft 654

-29.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 MX$27.67

$2.36 Ft 767

-35.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.34

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-60.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 MX$41.45

$0.96 Ft 314

137.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 MX$33.77

$1.03 Ft 335

80.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 MX$27.40

$1.56 Ft 509

-3.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.11

$0.66 Ft 216

25.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 MX$79.9

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-44.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 MX$152

$6.01 Ft 1,956

38.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 MX$25.31

$1.30 Ft 422

6.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 MX$24.00

$2.08 Ft 677

-36.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 MX$25.48

$1.50 Ft 490

-6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 MX$51.2

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-14.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 MX$44.47

$1.30 Ft 424

87.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 MX$102

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-71.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.71

$1.81 Ft 591

-16.02%

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

$21.4K MX$389.2K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-27.04%

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

$23.8K MX$433.0K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-30.22%

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

$106 MX$1,927

$170 Ft 55.3K

-37.65%

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

$16.87 MX$307

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-29.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.97 MX$636

$23.42 Ft 7,628

49.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.35 MX$625

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-48.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

Cinema Ticket

$6.45 MX$117

$9.52 Ft 3,101

-32.25%

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

$263 MX$4,776

$537 Ft 174.8K

-51.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,022 MX$55.0K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-81.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.26 MX$769

$101 Ft 33.0K

-58.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 MX$605

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-22.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 MX$1,772

$113 Ft 36.7K

-13.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.2 MX$1,095

$119 Ft 38.7K

-49.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 MX$11.2K

$805 Ft 262.2K

-23.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 MX$9,808

$629 Ft 204.9K

-14.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 MX$27.4K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-2.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 MX$23.9K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

12.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,162 MX$57.5K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-43.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,818 MX$33.1K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-54.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 MX$14.3K

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-51.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.8

6.43

67.96%

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

Last update for Tulum: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tulum

$539 42.8%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 16.7% $90

Groceries & Markets

Tulum

$222 17.6%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 16% $36

Eating Out

Tulum

$169 13.4%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 33.1% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tulum

$158 12.5%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 37.7% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Tulum

$105 8.3%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 61.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Tulum

$47 3.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 80.5% $38

Getting Around

Tulum

$21 * 1.6%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 110% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $614 in Tulum versus $805 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 107% 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 $56.0 in Tulum versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $258 – making Tulum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tulum

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

03:52 3:52 AM

7 h ahead of Tulum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,721

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tulum Budapest 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Tulum
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

Tulum vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,878 per month in Tulum and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tulum, 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 $56.0 in Tulum and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tulum, where all-in costs run around $1,252, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Tulum it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tulum – 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 Tulum. 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.