Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alton, IL and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $1,895 in Alton, IL, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Alton, IL
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Alton, IL Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Alton, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,895

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,895 per month in Alton, IL vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Alton, IL $1,895
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $2,862 per month in Alton, IL vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Alton, IL $2,862
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $3,829 per month in Alton, IL vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Alton, IL $3,829
Budapest $3,483

Alton, IL costs about 15% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Alton, IL and Budapest sit above the global median – Alton, IL by 40%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$14.04 Ft 4,536

47.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 $55.6

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-8.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 $11.17

$10.37 Ft 3,351

7.71%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$3.46 Ft 1,117

43.06%

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

$1.46 $1.46

$2.07 Ft 669

-29.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.77 Ft 572

-1.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.69 Ft 1,191

5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 $5.88

$3.80 Ft 1,229

54.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.16 Ft 374

-30.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.85 Ft 598

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.40 Ft 776

30.42%

Eggs

$3.16 $3.16

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-20.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-18.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-1.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.42 $23.42

$14.49 Ft 4,682

61.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$1.88 Ft 607

126.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.14 Ft 693

-44.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$2.30 Ft 744

125.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$4.04 Ft 1,304

21.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.02 Ft 329

116.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$0.99 Ft 320

176.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.58 Ft 510

32.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.70 Ft 225

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.08 $11.08

$8.03 Ft 2,594

37.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 $12.05

$6.18 Ft 1,997

94.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.24 Ft 401

47.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.06 Ft 666

29.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-13.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.33 Ft 431

27.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.93 Ft 624

-49.22%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-4.38%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-25.16%

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

$331 $331

$175 Ft 56.4K

89.67%

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

$43.44 $43.44

$23.62 Ft 7,631

83.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.7 $77.7

$23.60 Ft 7,625

229.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.07 $27.07

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-60.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 $11.95

$10.31 Ft 3,333

15.91%

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

$279 $279

$535 Ft 172.9K

-47.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.36 $40.36

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-59.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-1.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 $65.4

$112 Ft 36.1K

-41.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.1 $76.1

$119 Ft 38.4K

-36.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 $763

$832 Ft 268.8K

-8.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 $627

$629 Ft 203.3K

-0.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 $1,099

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-30.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 $1,275

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

6.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,513 $1,513

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-73.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,455 $1,455

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-63.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,813 $3,813

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

122.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-6.98%

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

Last update for Alton, IL: October 18, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alton, IL

$627 33.1%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 0.4% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alton, IL

$452 23.9%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 51% $231

Groceries & Markets

Alton, IL

$349 18.4%

Budapest

$262 16% 25% $87

Eating Out

Alton, IL

$303 16%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 25.3% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Alton, IL

$101 5.3%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 66.5% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Alton, IL

$51 2.7%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 75.5% $39

Getting Around

Alton, IL

$11 * 0.6%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 285% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $763 in Alton, IL 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 123% higher in Alton, IL, 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 Alton, IL versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in Alton, IL vs $262 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alton, IL

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

21:12 9:12 PM

7 h ahead of Alton, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,676

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 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

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Between locations

Alton, IL Budapest 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alton, IL
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

Alton, IL vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alton, IL costs about 15% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,842 per month in Alton, IL 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 Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,895 in Alton, IL and $1,641 in Budapest. That's a gap of about 15%.

Kindergarten costs $279 per month in Alton, IL and $535 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Alton, IL at $1,895. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Budapest costs $1,641 versus $1,895 in Alton, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alton, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.