Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Albert Lea, MN

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $1,944 in Albert Lea, MN, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Albert Lea, MN
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Albert Lea, MN Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Albert Lea, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Albert Lea, MN

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Albert Lea, MN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Budapest versus $1,944 in Albert Lea, MN.

Budapest $1,641
Albert Lea, MN $1,944

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,562 in Budapest versus $2,969 in Albert Lea, MN.

Budapest $2,562
Albert Lea, MN $2,969

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,483 in Budapest versus $3,995 in Albert Lea, MN.

Budapest $3,483
Albert Lea, MN $3,995

Living in Budapest costs roughly 16% less than in Albert Lea, MN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 21% above, Albert Lea, MN 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$20.02 $20.02

-29.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$102 $102

-40.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$11.92 $11.92

-13.00%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$6.29 $6.29

-44.99%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$3.06 $3.06

-32.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$2.56 $2.56

-30.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$4.88 $4.88

-24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$5.69 $5.69

-33.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$0.92 $0.92

26.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$2.93 $2.93

-36.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$2.17 $2.17

10.60%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$3.90 $3.90

2.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$8.84 $8.84

28.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$16.56 $16.56

-58.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$18.96 $18.96

-23.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$5.40 $5.40

-65.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.50 $1.50

42.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$4.89 $4.89

-52.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$3.72 $3.72

8.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$2.73 $2.73

-62.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.22 $2.22

-55.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$2.70 $2.70

-41.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$2.30 $2.30

-69.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$9.92 $9.92

-19.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$15.24 $15.24

-59.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.74 $1.74

-28.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$3.39 $3.39

-39.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$2.09 $2.09

-23.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$1.95 $1.95

75.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$1.28 $1.28

3.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$20.31 $20.31

0.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.94 $0.94

105.32%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$26.7K $26.7K

9.24%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$25.6K $25.6K

35.67%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$185 $185

-5.45%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$53.4 $53.4

-55.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$79.6 $79.6

-70.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$39.66 $39.66

73.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$9.82 $9.82

4.99%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$1,350 $1,350

-60.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$11.9K $11.9K

41.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$45.76 $45.76

118.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$24.54 $24.54

76.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$50.6 $50.6

120.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$59.6 $59.6

99.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$1,030 $1,030

-19.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$739 $739

-14.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$1,586 $1,586

-0.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$1,188 $1,188

0.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$2,942 $2,942

94.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$2,028 $2,028

94.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$2,957 $2,957

-42.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.57

-1.83%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Albert Lea, MN: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Albert Lea, MN

$739 38% 17.5% $110

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Albert Lea, MN

$400 20.6% 52.9% $138

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Albert Lea, MN

$330 17% 45.6% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Albert Lea, MN

$318 16.3% 43.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Albert Lea, MN

$81 4.2% 51.7% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Albert Lea, MN

$59 3.1% 33.7% $30

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Albert Lea, MN

$17 * 0.9% 62% $27

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 $832 in Budapest and $1,030 in Albert Lea, MN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albert Lea, MN pays 73% 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: $61.0 in Budapest vs $102 in Albert Lea, MN for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $400 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇺🇸 Albert Lea, MN

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

05:12 5:12 AM

7 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

17,758

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Albert Lea, MN 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Albert Lea, MN

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

Budapest vs Albert Lea, MN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Albert Lea, MN differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,641 vs $1,944 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Albert Lea, MN. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $832 in Budapest versus $1,030 in Albert Lea, MN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $535 in Budapest versus $1,350 in Albert Lea, MN. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Budapest – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $102 in Albert Lea, MN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,641 in Budapest versus $1,944 in Albert Lea, MN, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Albert Lea, MN. The gap between the two cities makes Budapest 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.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Albert Lea, MN 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 18% less than in Albert Lea, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.