Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,621 in Budapest.

Austin, TX $2,704
Budapest $1,621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,555 in Budapest.

Austin, TX $4,133
Budapest $2,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $3,489 in Budapest.

Austin, TX $5,562
Budapest $3,489

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 67% more expensive than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Budapest 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$13.99 Ft 4,555

44.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

40.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$9.96 Ft 3,244

24.00%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.38 Ft 1,102

61.83%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.13 Ft 693

79.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.87 Ft 609

33.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.75 Ft 1,222

114.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.57 Ft 1,163

151.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.13 Ft 369

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.84 Ft 600

105.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.39 Ft 777

35.98%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.83 Ft 1,246

8.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$11.33 Ft 3,689

15.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$6.74 Ft 2,194

112.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$14.69 Ft 4,784

8.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.84 Ft 598

138.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.01 Ft 654

-27.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.36 Ft 767

92.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.77 Ft 1,227

11.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.96 Ft 314

173.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.03 Ft 335

129.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.56 Ft 509

12.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.66 Ft 216

227.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$7.96 Ft 2,594

23.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$6.01 Ft 1,956

144.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.30 Ft 422

113.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.08 Ft 677

67.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.50 Ft 490

-0.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$27.61 Ft 8,991

46.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-19.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.30 Ft 424

21.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$19.78 Ft 6,442

78.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.81 Ft 591

-45.30%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

22.08%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-20.32%

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

$219 $219

$170 Ft 55.3K

29.03%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$23.98 Ft 7,809

141.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$23.42 Ft 7,628

191.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-12.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-22.73%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$9.52 Ft 3,101

48.42%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$537 Ft 174.8K

181.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

29.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$101 Ft 33.0K

-49.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

2.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$113 Ft 36.7K

-24.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$119 Ft 38.7K

-11.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$805 Ft 262.2K

139.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$629 Ft 204.9K

102.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

136.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

116.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

35.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-19.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

213.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.43

5.60%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: 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

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 50.5% $643

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 36.1% $145

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 35.6% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 37.1% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 31.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 1% $0.9

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 23.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $805 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 214% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $60.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $258 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

02:27 2:27 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

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 = 326 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

Austin, TX Budapest 9,310 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

Austin, TX vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest wins on cost – living expenses run 67% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Budapest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 214% higher in Austin, TX, 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $805 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,621 in Budapest – a 67% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Budapest runs roughly 47% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,621 in Budapest versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Budapest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Budapest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,621 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Budapest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX 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 67% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.