Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankeny, IA and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Ankeny, IA
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Ankeny, IA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Ankeny, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,326

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,326 in Ankeny, IA versus $1,621 in Budapest.

Ankeny, IA $2,326
Budapest $1,621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,298 in Ankeny, IA versus $2,555 in Budapest.

Ankeny, IA $3,298
Budapest $2,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,270 in Ankeny, IA versus $3,489 in Budapest.

Ankeny, IA $4,270
Budapest $3,489

Living in Ankeny, IA is roughly 43% more expensive than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ankeny, IA 74% above, Budapest 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$13.99 Ft 4,551

40.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

31.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$9.96 Ft 3,241

18.47%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$3.38 Ft 1,100

61.54%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$2.13 Ft 692

39.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.87 Ft 608

-6.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.75 Ft 1,221

34.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 $5.79

$3.57 Ft 1,162

62.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.13 Ft 368

-19.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.84 Ft 599

58.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.39 Ft 777

36.82%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$3.83 Ft 1,245

3.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 $9.65

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-14.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$6.74 Ft 2,192

28.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.96 $14.96

$14.69 Ft 4,780

1.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$1.84 Ft 597

184.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.01 Ft 653

-24.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.36 Ft 767

107.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-2.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.96 Ft 313

131.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.03 Ft 334

223.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.56 Ft 509

20.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$0.66 Ft 216

301.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.80 $8.80

$7.96 Ft 2,591

10.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$6.01 Ft 1,954

146.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.30 Ft 421

30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.08 Ft 676

18.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-37.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.30 Ft 424

-2.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.71 $19.71

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-0.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.81 Ft 591

-45.30%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

21.64%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-25.57%

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

$159 $159

$170 Ft 55.3K

-6.22%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$23.98 Ft 7,802

121.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$23.42 Ft 7,621

173.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.0 $74.0

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

11.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$14.95 $14.95

$9.52 Ft 3,098

57.04%

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

$1,101 $1,101

$537 Ft 174.6K

105.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-28.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.27 $48.27

$101 Ft 33.0K

-52.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 $34.89

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-18.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$113 Ft 36.7K

-20.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$119 Ft 38.6K

-1.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 $1,109

$805 Ft 262.0K

37.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$629 Ft 204.7K

81.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,971 $1,971

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

27.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 $1,599

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

36.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,289 $5,289

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

225.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

6.43

-0.93%

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

Last update for Ankeny, IA: 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

Ankeny, IA

$1.1K 49%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 44.8% $512

Groceries & Markets

Ankeny, IA

$353 15.2%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 27% $95

Eating Out

Ankeny, IA

$314 13.5%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 28.5% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankeny, IA

$277 11.9%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 21.5% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Ankeny, IA

$130 5.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 29.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Ankeny, IA

$104 4.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 17.9% $19

Getting Around

Ankeny, IA

$8.4 * 0.4%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 416% $35

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 $1,109 in Ankeny, IA and $805 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ankeny, IA pays 225% 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: $79.0 in Ankeny, IA vs $60.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $258 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ankeny, IA

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

7 h ahead of Ankeny, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,887

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

HUF to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Ankeny, IA Budapest 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankeny, IA
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

Ankeny, IA vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankeny, IA and Budapest differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($2,326 vs $1,621 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 225% higher in Ankeny, IA, 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: $1,109 in Ankeny, IA versus $805 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Ankeny, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,326 per month in Ankeny, IA versus $1,621 in Budapest – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,621 in Budapest versus $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Ankeny, IA. 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, Ankeny, IA 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 43% less than in Ankeny, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.