Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens, OH and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens, OH and in Budapest: $1,644 and $1,619 a month, rent and utilities included.

81

Cost of Living Index in Athens, OH
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Athens, OH Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Athens, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$1,644

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,644 in Athens, OH versus $1,619 in Budapest.

Athens, OH $1,644
Budapest $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Athens, OH versus $2,524 in Budapest.

Athens, OH $2,493
Budapest $2,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,342 in Athens, OH versus $3,429 in Budapest.

Athens, OH $3,342
Budapest $3,429

Living in Athens, OH is roughly 2% more expensive than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens, OH 22% above, Budapest 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.15 $15.15

$13.94 Ft 4,503

8.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.45 $49.45

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-19.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 $9.80

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-3.83%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$3.26 Ft 1,055

54.29%

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

$2.24 $2.24

$2.14 Ft 690

4.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.78 Ft 577

-18.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 $4.99

$3.71 Ft 1,198

34.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 $7.20

$3.77 Ft 1,217

90.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.15 Ft 371

-35.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.79 Ft 578

17.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.49 Ft 804

20.08%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$3.90 Ft 1,261

7.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$11.10 Ft 3,587

17.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.94 $8.94

$6.62 Ft 2,139

35.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.91 $15.91

$14.69 Ft 4,745

8.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 $3.70

$1.83 Ft 591

102.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.05 Ft 661

-53.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.37 Ft 765

16.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-20.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$0.99 Ft 320

62.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.00 Ft 322

113.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.58 Ft 511

3.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.67 Ft 216

186.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.97 $8.97

$7.96 Ft 2,572

12.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$6.22 Ft 2,009

136.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.27 Ft 411

67.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.03 Ft 654

46.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.52 Ft 490

-33.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 $3.83

$3.31 Ft 1,070

15.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.37 Ft 442

-10.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.28 $25.28

$19.83 Ft 6,406

27.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.82 Ft 589

-51.10%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

21.35%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-24.84%

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

$148 $148

$171 Ft 55.3K

-13.69%

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

$30.29 $30.29

$23.51 Ft 7,596

28.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.65 $47.65

$23.29 Ft 7,526

104.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$11.84 $11.84

$9.30 Ft 3,004

27.31%

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

$1,453 $1,453

$533 Ft 172.3K

172.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K $19.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

17.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.49 $45.49

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-54.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.13 $45.13

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

3.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.9 $63.9

$110 Ft 35.7K

-42.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$119 Ft 38.4K

-9.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,282 $1,282

$830 Ft 268.3K

54.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 $674

$622 Ft 200.9K

8.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 $1,459

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-8.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 $1,228

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

4.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,674 $1,674

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-71.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,664 $1,664

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-57.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,467 $3,467

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

109.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

6.45

2.17%

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

Last update for Athens, OH: 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

Athens, OH

$674 41%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 7.7% $52

Groceries & Markets

Athens, OH

$324 19.7%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 20.4% $66

Eating Out

Athens, OH

$265 16.1%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 15.9% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens, OH

$226 13.7%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 3.4% $7.7

Clothing & Footwear

Athens, OH

$118 7.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 42.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Athens, OH

$24 * 1.4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 264% $62

Getting Around

Athens, OH

$14 * 0.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 216% $30

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 $1,282 in Athens, OH and $830 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens, OH pays 110% 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: $49.00 in Athens, OH vs $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $258, with Budapest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Athens, OH

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

17:12 5:12 PM

6 h ahead of Athens, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,452

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Athens, OH Budapest 7,620 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens, OH
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

Athens, OH vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 110% higher in Athens, OH, 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: $1,282 in Athens, OH versus $830 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Athens, OH. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,644 per month in Athens, OH versus $1,619 in Budapest – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,619 in Budapest versus $1,644 in Athens, OH, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Athens, OH. The gap between the two cities makes Budapest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Budapest is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Athens, OH, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Athens, OH 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 2% less than in Athens, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.