Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albert Lea, MN and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $1,944 in Albert Lea, MN, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Albert Lea, MN
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Albert Lea, MN Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Albert Lea, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,944

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,944 in Albert Lea, MN versus $1,641 in Budapest.

Albert Lea, MN $1,944
Budapest $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,969 in Albert Lea, MN versus $2,562 in Budapest.

Albert Lea, MN $2,969
Budapest $2,562

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,995 in Albert Lea, MN versus $3,483 in Budapest.

Albert Lea, MN $3,995
Budapest $3,483

Living in Albert Lea, MN is roughly 18% more expensive than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Albert Lea, MN 43% above, Budapest 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.02 $20.02

$14.04 Ft 4,536

42.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

67.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 $11.92

$10.37 Ft 3,351

14.95%

Cappuccino

$6.29 $6.29

$3.46 Ft 1,117

81.79%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$2.07 Ft 669

47.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.77 Ft 572

44.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 $4.88

$3.69 Ft 1,191

32.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 $5.69

$3.80 Ft 1,229

49.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.16 Ft 374

-20.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.85 Ft 598

58.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.40 Ft 776

-9.58%

Eggs

$3.90 $3.90

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-2.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 $8.84

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-22.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.56 $16.56

$6.87 Ft 2,221

141.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.96 $18.96

$14.49 Ft 4,682

30.85%

Apples (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$1.88 Ft 607

187.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$2.14 Ft 693

-29.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.30 Ft 744

112.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-7.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.02 Ft 329

167.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.99 Ft 320

124.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.58 Ft 510

70.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.70 Ft 225

228.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.92 $9.92

$8.03 Ft 2,594

23.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$6.18 Ft 1,997

146.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.24 Ft 401

40.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.06 Ft 666

64.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.59 Ft 513

31.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-43.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.33 Ft 431

-3.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.31 $20.31

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-0.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.93 Ft 624

-51.30%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-8.46%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-26.29%

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

$185 $185

$175 Ft 56.4K

5.76%

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

$53.4 $53.4

$23.62 Ft 7,631

125.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.6 $79.6

$23.60 Ft 7,625

237.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.66 $39.66

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-42.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 $9.82

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-4.75%

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

$1,350 $1,350

$535 Ft 172.9K

152.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-29.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.76 $45.76

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-54.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.54 $24.54

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-43.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.6 $50.6

$112 Ft 36.1K

-54.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.6 $59.6

$119 Ft 38.4K

-49.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 $1,030

$832 Ft 268.8K

23.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 $739

$629 Ft 203.3K

17.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 $1,586

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

0.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 $1,188

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-0.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,942 $2,942

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-48.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,028 $2,028

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-48.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 $2,957

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

72.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

6.45

1.86%

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

Last update for Albert Lea, MN: October 19, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Albert Lea, MN

$739 38%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 14.9% $110

Groceries & Markets

Albert Lea, MN

$400 20.6%

Budapest

$262 16% 34.6% $138

Eating Out

Albert Lea, MN

$330 17%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 31.3% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albert Lea, MN

$318 16.3%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 30.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Albert Lea, MN

$81 4.2%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 107% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Albert Lea, MN

$59 3.1%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 50.9% $30

Getting Around

Albert Lea, MN

$17 * 0.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 163% $27

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 $1,030 in Albert Lea, MN and $832 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albert Lea, MN pays 73% 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: $102 in Albert Lea, MN vs $61.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $262 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Albert Lea, MN

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

10:02 10:02 AM

7 h ahead of Albert Lea, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,758

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 22, 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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Albert Lea, MN Budapest 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Albert Lea, MN
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

Albert Lea, MN vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Albert Lea, MN and Budapest differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,944 vs $1,641 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 73% higher in Albert Lea, MN, 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: $1,030 in Albert Lea, MN versus $832 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,350 in Albert Lea, MN versus $535 in Budapest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Budapest – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $102 in Albert Lea, MN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,641 in Budapest versus $1,944 in Albert Lea, MN, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Albert Lea, MN. 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, Albert Lea, MN 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 18% less than in Albert Lea, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.