Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Augusta, ME and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,638 a month against $2,388 in Augusta, ME, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Augusta, ME
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Augusta, ME Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Augusta, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,388

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,388 in Augusta, ME versus $1,638 in Budapest.

Augusta, ME $2,388
Budapest $1,638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,317 in Augusta, ME versus $2,553 in Budapest.

Augusta, ME $3,317
Budapest $2,553

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,246 in Augusta, ME versus $3,467 in Budapest.

Augusta, ME $4,246
Budapest $3,467

Living in Augusta, ME is roughly 46% more expensive than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Augusta, ME 75% above, Budapest 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 $19.90

$13.81 Ft 4,548

44.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.1 $53.1

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

-13.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 $10.39

$10.16 Ft 3,345

2.26%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$3.22 Ft 1,061

67.70%

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

$2.36 $2.36

$2.06 Ft 679

14.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.83 Ft 604

-13.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.60 Ft 1,187

39.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 $7.72

$3.66 Ft 1,207

110.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.19 Ft 392

-4.20%

White Bread (500g)

$4.56 $4.56

$1.87 Ft 616

143.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.37 Ft 779

-38.82%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$3.96 Ft 1,304

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$11.16 Ft 3,677

35.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.12 $14.12

$6.76 Ft 2,226

108.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.52 $19.52

$14.35 Ft 4,727

36.03%

Apples (1kg)

$7.48 $7.48

$1.81 Ft 595

313.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.11 Ft 695

-37.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.33 Ft 769

32.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.80 Ft 1,253

20.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.99 Ft 327

135.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$0.98 Ft 324

191.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.55 Ft 511

34.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.70 Ft 229

158.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$7.79 Ft 2,567

53.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 $12.99

$6.05 Ft 1,993

114.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.28 Ft 421

21.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 $1.55

$2.04 Ft 671

-24.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,987

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.30 Ft 1,086

-22.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.31 Ft 433

-3.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.55 $28.55

$20.26 Ft 6,673

40.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.82 Ft 599

-50.55%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

2.97%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

-26.63%

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

$243 $243

$172 Ft 56.7K

41.10%

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

$45.59 $45.59

$23.95 Ft 7,890

90.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 $61.0

$23.31 Ft 7,679

161.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.60 $22.60

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

-67.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,229

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$10.18 Ft 3,353

38.80%

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

$2,656 $2,656

$600 Ft 197.8K

342.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.6K $36.6K

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

118.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.5 $73.5

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

-25.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

17.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$113 Ft 37.2K

0.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 $154

$117 Ft 38.6K

31.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 $1,200

$836 Ft 275.4K

43.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 $1,078

$640 Ft 210.7K

68.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 $1,602

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

0.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 $1,473

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

22.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,386 $2,386

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

-57.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,378 $2,378

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

-37.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,948 $1,948

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

16.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.3

6.45

-2.33%

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

Last update for Augusta, ME: October 24, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Augusta, ME

$1.1K 45.2%

Budapest

$640 39.1% 40.7% $438

Groceries & Markets

Augusta, ME

$413 17.3%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 37.5% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Augusta, ME

$349 14.6%

Budapest

$219 13.4% 37.2% $130

Eating Out

Augusta, ME

$312 13%

Budapest

$221 13.5% 29.2% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Augusta, ME

$176 7.4%

Budapest

$168 10.2% 5% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Augusta, ME

$51 2.1%

Budapest

$89 5.4% 74.9% $38

Getting Around

Augusta, ME

$8.9 * 0.4%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 388% $34

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 $1,200 in Augusta, ME and $836 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Augusta, ME pays 17% 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: $53 in Augusta, ME vs $61 in Budapest. Groceries flip the comparison at $413 vs $258, with Budapest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Augusta, ME

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

16:20 4:20 PM

5 h ahead of Augusta, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

194,343

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

HUF to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Augusta, ME Budapest 6,490 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Augusta, ME
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

Augusta, ME vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Augusta, ME and Budapest differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($2,388 vs $1,638 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Augusta, ME, 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: $1,200 in Augusta, ME versus $836 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,656 in Augusta, ME versus $600 in Budapest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Augusta, ME – a meal for two runs $53 versus $61 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Budapest wins on affordability, Augusta, ME on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.