Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Lake Balaton

For one person, living is cheaper in Lake Balaton: $1,111 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Lake Balaton
Learn more

Lake Balaton Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Lake Balaton

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Lake Balaton

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 Lake Balaton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,111 in Lake Balaton.

Austin, TX $2,663
Lake Balaton $1,111

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,676 in Lake Balaton.

Austin, TX $4,133
Lake Balaton $1,676

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,241 in Lake Balaton.

Austin, TX $5,603
Lake Balaton $2,241

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 140% more expensive than in Lake Balaton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Lake Balaton is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$8.69 Ft 2,839

139.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$46.35 Ft 15.1K

82.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.57 Ft 2,799

43.76%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.01 Ft 658

180.10%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.40 Ft 458

165.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.00 Ft 328

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.85 Ft 606

335.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.17 Ft 710

315.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.07 Ft 350

4.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.49 Ft 488

151.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.84 Ft 602

77.17%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.65 Ft 865

57.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$9.16 Ft 2,994

40.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.00 Ft 1,960

136.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$11.84 Ft 3,871

36.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.78 Ft 582

143.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.89 Ft 617

-22.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.99 Ft 650

126.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.91 Ft 952

49.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.10 Ft 359

134.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.17 Ft 384

100.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.48 Ft 485

20.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.52 Ft 169

326.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$6.71 Ft 2,194

47.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$5.79 Ft 1,893

160.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.02 Ft 335

186.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.47 Ft 480

135.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.18 Ft 386

26.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$24.74 Ft 8,086

68.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.89 Ft 944

-5.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.15 Ft 377

44.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$16.93 Ft 5,533

108.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.69 Ft 551

-43.79%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$26.2K Ft 8.6M

37.74%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$30.7K Ft 10.0M

-11.73%

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

$229 $229

$144 Ft 47.1K

58.86%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$26.54 Ft 8,672

123.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$19.77 Ft 6,462

253.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$46.98 Ft 15.4K

21.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$16.97 Ft 5,546

-3.77%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.61 Ft 2,486

87.65%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$297 Ft 97.2K

406.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,637 Ft 2.2M

223.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$69.7 Ft 22.8K

-24.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$26.93 Ft 8,802

62.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$71.1 Ft 23.2K

19.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$79.5 Ft 26.0K

29.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$448 Ft 146.3K

326.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$350 Ft 114.3K

264.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$631 Ft 206.2K

480.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$529 Ft 173.0K

379.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,931 Ft 957.9K

159.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$2,328 Ft 760.9K

35.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.4

-8.24%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lake Balaton: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Lake Balaton

$350 31.5% 72.5% $924

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Lake Balaton

$217 19.5% 46.4% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Lake Balaton

$190 17.1% 46.8% $168

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Lake Balaton

$143 12.8% 59.7% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Lake Balaton

$111 10% 13.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Lake Balaton

$62 5.6% 27.5% $24

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Lake Balaton

$38 3.4% 35% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $448 in Lake Balaton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $46.00 in Lake Balaton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $217 per month, with Lake Balaton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇭🇺 Lake Balaton

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

13:46 1:46 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

275,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.06 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 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

HUF to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Lake Balaton 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Lake Balaton

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 Lake Balaton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lake Balaton wins on cost – living expenses run 140% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lake Balaton the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,667 in Lake Balaton 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $448 in Lake Balaton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,111 in Lake Balaton – a 140% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lake Balaton runs roughly 69% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,111 in Lake Balaton versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lake Balaton but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Lake Balaton 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.

Expats usually find Lake Balaton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 140% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.