Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abilene, TX and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,186 in Abilene, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Abilene, TX
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Abilene, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Abilene, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,186

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,186 in Abilene, TX versus $1,619 in Budapest.

Abilene, TX $2,186
Budapest $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,178 in Abilene, TX versus $2,524 in Budapest.

Abilene, TX $3,178
Budapest $2,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,169 in Abilene, TX versus $3,429 in Budapest.

Abilene, TX $4,169
Budapest $3,429

Living in Abilene, TX is roughly 35% more expensive than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Abilene, TX 62% above, Budapest 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 $18.06

$13.94 Ft 4,503

29.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.4 $64.4

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

5.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 $9.13

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-10.40%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.26 Ft 1,055

67.79%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$2.14 Ft 690

11.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.78 Ft 577

4.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.71 Ft 1,198

33.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$3.77 Ft 1,217

54.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.15 Ft 371

-10.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.79 Ft 578

29.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$2.49 Ft 804

126.10%

Eggs

$3.73 $3.73

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-4.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 $8.39

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-24.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$6.62 Ft 2,139

96.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-4.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.83 Ft 591

85.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.05 Ft 661

-52.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.37 Ft 765

97.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$3.90 Ft 1,260

35.90%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$0.99 Ft 320

326.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.00 Ft 322

251.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.58 Ft 511

56.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.67 Ft 216

192.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 $5.85

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-26.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.31 $11.31

$6.22 Ft 2,009

81.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.27 Ft 411

100.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.03 Ft 654

102.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.52 Ft 490

12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 $53.3

$28.02 Ft 9,053

90.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.86 $14.86

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-25.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.82 Ft 589

-52.75%

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

$19.1K $19.1K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-35.85%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-27.65%

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

$236 $236

$171 Ft 55.3K

38.11%

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

$58.7 $58.7

$23.51 Ft 7,596

149.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 $61.3

$23.29 Ft 7,526

163.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.16 $20.16

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-70.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$12.02 $12.02

$9.30 Ft 3,004

29.25%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.11 $42.11

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-57.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.74 $19.74

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-54.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.9 $62.9

$110 Ft 35.7K

-42.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 $65.6

$119 Ft 38.4K

-44.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 $1,160

$830 Ft 268.3K

39.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$981 $981

$622 Ft 200.9K

57.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 $1,847

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

15.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 $1,601

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

36.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,667 $1,667

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-71.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,711 $1,711

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-56.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,281 $3,281

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

98.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

6.45

0.62%

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

Last update for Abilene, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abilene, TX

$981 44.9%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 36.6% $359

Groceries & Markets

Abilene, TX

$368 16.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 29.9% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abilene, TX

$356 16.3%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 38.8% $138

Eating Out

Abilene, TX

$291 13.3%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 23.3% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Abilene, TX

$86 3.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 95.6% $82

Getting Around

Abilene, TX

$60 * 2.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 26.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Abilene, TX

$44 2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 94.9% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,160 in Abilene, TX and $830 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abilene, TX pays 99% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Abilene, TX vs $61.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $258 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Abilene, TX

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

23:23 11:23 PM

06:23 6:23 AM

7 h ahead of Abilene, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,182

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 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 →

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Abilene, TX Budapest 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Abilene, TX
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

Abilene, TX vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abilene, TX and Budapest differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($2,186 vs $1,619 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 99% higher in Abilene, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,160 in Abilene, TX versus $830 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Budapest – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $64.0 in Abilene, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Budapest runs roughly 90% less than in Abilene, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,619 in Budapest versus $2,186 in Abilene, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Abilene, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Budapest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Abilene, TX and Budapest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Budapest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Abilene, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.