Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookings, SD and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,592 in Brookings, SD, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brookings, SD
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Brookings, SD Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Brookings, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,592

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,592 per month in Brookings, SD vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Brookings, SD $2,592
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $3,536 per month in Brookings, SD vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Brookings, SD $3,536
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $4,480 per month in Brookings, SD vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Brookings, SD $4,480
Budapest $3,483

Brookings, SD costs about 58% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Brookings, SD and Budapest sit above the global median – Brookings, SD by 91%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.52 $17.52

$14.04 Ft 4,536

24.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.50 $39.50

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-35.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 $11.37

$10.37 Ft 3,351

9.64%

Cappuccino

$4.59 $4.59

$3.46 Ft 1,117

32.66%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$2.07 Ft 669

21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.77 Ft 572

10.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 $6.08

$3.69 Ft 1,191

64.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 $7.03

$3.80 Ft 1,229

85.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.16 Ft 374

-27.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.85 Ft 598

88.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.54 $6.54

$2.40 Ft 776

172.50%

Eggs

$3.56 $3.56

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-10.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-8.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.83 $13.83

$6.87 Ft 2,221

101.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-10.14%

Apples (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$1.88 Ft 607

214.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.14 Ft 693

-14.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$2.30 Ft 744

184.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$4.04 Ft 1,304

28.96%

Potato (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.02 Ft 329

330.39%

Onion (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$0.99 Ft 320

315.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.58 Ft 510

49.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.70 Ft 225

178.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.03 $13.03

$8.03 Ft 2,594

62.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 $11.88

$6.18 Ft 1,997

92.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.24 Ft 401

130.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 $5.76

$2.06 Ft 666

179.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.43 Ft 1,110

46.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.33 Ft 431

26.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.76 $23.76

$20.45 Ft 6,607

16.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.93 Ft 624

-46.63%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

3.58%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-24.20%

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

$178 $178

$175 Ft 56.4K

2.04%

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

$54.1 $54.1

$23.62 Ft 7,631

129.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$23.60 Ft 7,625

199.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$11.83 $11.83

$10.31 Ft 3,333

14.74%

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

$1,338 $1,338

$535 Ft 172.9K

150.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.3K $36.3K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

115.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.60 $42.60

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-57.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.98 $34.98

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-19.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$112 Ft 36.1K

-21.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$119 Ft 38.4K

-12.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,663 $1,663

$832 Ft 268.8K

99.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 $1,419

$629 Ft 203.3K

125.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,083 $2,083

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

31.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,037 $2,037

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

70.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,622 $2,622

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-54.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,872 $2,872

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-27.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

6.45

-14.73%

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

Last update for Brookings, SD: October 20, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brookings, SD

$1.4K 54.8%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 55.7% $790

Groceries & Markets

Brookings, SD

$420 16.2%

Budapest

$262 16% 37.6% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookings, SD

$303 11.7%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 26.8% $81

Eating Out

Brookings, SD

$292 11.3%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 22.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Brookings, SD

$121 4.7%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 38.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Brookings, SD

$24 * 0.9%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 278% $66

Getting Around

Brookings, SD

$13 * 0.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 228% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,663 in Brookings, SD versus $832 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Brookings, SD versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $420 in Brookings, SD vs $262 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brookings, SD

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

09:33 9:33 AM

7 h ahead of Brookings, SD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,802

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Brookings, SD Budapest 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Brookings, SD
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

Brookings, SD vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brookings, SD costs about 58% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,888 per month in Brookings, SD and $2,461 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Brookings, SD and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% more in Brookings, SD, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Brookings, SD at $2,592. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brookings, SD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Budapest costs $1,641 versus $2,592 in Brookings, SD. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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