Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Astoria, NY and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $3,298 in Astoria, NY, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

162

Cost of Living Index in Astoria, NY
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Astoria, NY Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Astoria, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,298

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,298 in Astoria, NY versus $1,619 in Budapest.

Astoria, NY $3,298
Budapest $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,650 in Astoria, NY versus $2,524 in Budapest.

Astoria, NY $4,650
Budapest $2,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,002 in Astoria, NY versus $3,429 in Budapest.

Astoria, NY $6,002
Budapest $3,429

Living in Astoria, NY is roughly 104% more expensive than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Astoria, NY 144% above, Budapest 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.30 $19.30

$13.94 Ft 4,503

38.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.7 $80.7

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

31.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.12 $10.12

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-0.69%

Cappuccino

$4.56 $4.56

$3.26 Ft 1,055

39.88%

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

$1.69 $1.69

$2.14 Ft 690

-21.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.78 Ft 577

5.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.71 Ft 1,198

37.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$3.77 Ft 1,217

113.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.15 Ft 371

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.79 Ft 578

113.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.49 Ft 804

47.39%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-9.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.75 $16.75

$11.10 Ft 3,587

50.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.07 $9.07

$6.62 Ft 2,139

37.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.37 $13.37

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-8.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.83 Ft 591

124.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.05 Ft 661

-8.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.37 Ft 765

9.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.90 Ft 1,260

1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.99 Ft 320

149.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.00 Ft 322

144.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.58 Ft 511

29.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$0.67 Ft 216

271.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.17 $15.17

$7.96 Ft 2,572

90.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.30 $20.30

$6.22 Ft 2,009

226.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.27 Ft 411

34.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.03 Ft 654

67.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.52 Ft 490

101.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

$28.02 Ft 9,053

397.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-11.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.37 Ft 442

55.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.52 $41.52

$19.83 Ft 6,406

109.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.82 Ft 589

-48.90%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

17.96%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-25.36%

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

$113 $113

$171 Ft 55.3K

-33.81%

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

$57.4 $57.4

$23.51 Ft 7,596

144.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 $50.7

$23.29 Ft 7,526

117.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.62 $45.62

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-32.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$20.18 $20.18

$9.30 Ft 3,004

116.99%

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

$2,578 $2,578

$533 Ft 172.3K

383.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.8K $34.8K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

107.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.10 $25.10

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-74.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.11 $20.11

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-53.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$29.80 $29.80

$110 Ft 35.7K

-73.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.9 $50.9

$119 Ft 38.4K

-57.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,347 $2,347

$830 Ft 268.3K

182.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,091 $2,091

$622 Ft 200.9K

236.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,812 $3,812

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

139.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,225 $3,225

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

175.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

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

Last update for Astoria, NY: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Astoria, NY

$2.1K 63.4%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 70.3% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Astoria, NY

$382 11.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 32.5% $124

Eating Out

Astoria, NY

$295 9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 24.5% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Astoria, NY

$221 6.7%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 1.6% $3.4

Getting Around

Astoria, NY

$165 5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 73.2% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Astoria, NY

$86 2.6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 0.2% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Astoria, NY

$57 1.7%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 196% $111

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,347 in Astoria, NY and $830 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $81.0 in Astoria, NY vs $61.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $258 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Astoria, NY

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

15:39 3:39 PM

6 h ahead of Astoria, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,165

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 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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Between locations

Astoria, NY Budapest 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Astoria, NY
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

Astoria, NY vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Astoria, NY and Budapest differ by about 104% in total monthly costs ($3,298 vs $1,619 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,947 in Astoria, NY and $2,428 in Budapest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,347 in Astoria, NY versus $830 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,298 per month in Astoria, NY versus $1,619 in Budapest – a 104% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Budapest runs roughly 397% less than in Astoria, NY. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,619 in Budapest versus $3,298 in Astoria, NY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Astoria, NY. 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, Astoria, NY 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 104% less than in Astoria, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.