Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atlanta, GA and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,081 in Atlanta, GA, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

150

Cost of Living Index in Atlanta, GA
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Atlanta, GA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Atlanta, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,081

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,081 per month in Atlanta, GA vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Atlanta, GA $3,081
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $4,483 per month in Atlanta, GA vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Atlanta, GA $4,483
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,885 per month in Atlanta, GA vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Atlanta, GA $5,885
Budapest $3,489

Atlanta, GA costs about 90% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Atlanta, GA and Budapest sit above the global median – Atlanta, GA by 130%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.41 $33.41

$13.99 Ft 4,551

138.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 $110

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

82.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.98 $11.98

$9.96 Ft 3,241

20.28%

Cappuccino

$5.67 $5.67

$3.38 Ft 1,100

67.75%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$2.13 Ft 692

28.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.87 Ft 608

14.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.38 $7.38

$3.75 Ft 1,221

96.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 $8.10

$3.57 Ft 1,162

126.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.13 Ft 368

-24.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.41 $3.41

$1.84 Ft 599

85.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.39 Ft 777

56.90%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$3.83 Ft 1,245

23.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.62 $13.62

$11.33 Ft 3,686

20.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.87 $14.87

$6.74 Ft 2,192

120.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.22 $20.22

$14.69 Ft 4,780

37.64%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$1.84 Ft 597

229.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.01 Ft 653

-25.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.36 Ft 767

155.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$3.77 Ft 1,226

37.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$0.96 Ft 313

275.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.03 Ft 334

155.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.56 Ft 509

44.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$0.66 Ft 216

318.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.66 $8.66

$7.96 Ft 2,591

8.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 $15.26

$6.01 Ft 1,954

153.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.30 Ft 421

204.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.08 Ft 676

145.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.50 Ft 489

68.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 $96.7

$27.61 Ft 8,982

250.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.30 Ft 1,074

4.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.30 Ft 424

17.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.02 $24.02

$19.78 Ft 6,436

21.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.81 Ft 591

-44.75%

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

$37.2K $37.2K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

26.71%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-24.11%

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

$201 $201

$170 Ft 55.3K

18.37%

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

$71.3 $71.3

$23.98 Ft 7,802

197.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.1 $86.1

$23.42 Ft 7,621

267.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.71 $31.71

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-52.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.72 $15.72

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-18.04%

Cinema Ticket

$17.27 $17.27

$9.52 Ft 3,098

81.41%

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

$1,870 $1,870

$537 Ft 174.6K

248.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K $22.3K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

34.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 $53.2

$101 Ft 33.0K

-47.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.97 $43.97

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

2.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 $99.8

$113 Ft 36.7K

-11.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$119 Ft 38.6K

-6.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,070 $2,070

$805 Ft 262.0K

157.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,550 $1,550

$629 Ft 204.7K

146.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,482 $3,482

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

124.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,177 $2,177

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

86.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,856 $3,856

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-31.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,664 $2,664

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-32.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,396 $5,396

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

231.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

6.43

1.71%

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

Last update for Atlanta, GA: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Atlanta, GA

$1.5K 49.4%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 59.4% $921

Groceries & Markets

Atlanta, GA

$460 14.7%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 44.1% $203

Eating Out

Atlanta, GA

$444 14.2%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 49.5% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atlanta, GA

$358 11.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 39.4% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Atlanta, GA

$139 4.4%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 22% $30

Getting Around

Atlanta, GA

$118 3.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 63.2% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Atlanta, GA

$66 2.1%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 28.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,070 in Atlanta, GA versus $805 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 232% higher in Atlanta, GA, 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 $110 in Atlanta, GA versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $460 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Atlanta, GA

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:31 10:31 PM

04:31 4:31 AM

6 h ahead of Atlanta, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

510,823

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Atlanta, GA Budapest 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Atlanta, GA
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

Atlanta, GA vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Atlanta, GA is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,621 per month in Atlanta, GA and $2,432 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.

Groceries cost about 79% more in Atlanta, GA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $110 in Atlanta, GA and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Atlanta, GA at $3,081. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Atlanta, GA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Atlanta, GA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.