Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Astoria, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $3,298 in Astoria, NY, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
162

Cost of Living Index in Astoria, NY
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Astoria, NY Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Astoria, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Astoria, NY

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 Astoria, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $3,298 in Astoria, NY.

Budapest $1,619
Astoria, NY $3,298

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $4,650 in Astoria, NY.

Budapest $2,524
Astoria, NY $4,650

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $6,002 in Astoria, NY.

Budapest $3,429
Astoria, NY $6,002

Living in Budapest costs roughly 51% less than in Astoria, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 20% above, Astoria, NY 144% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$19.30 $19.30

-27.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$80.7 $80.7

-24.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$10.12 $10.12

0.69%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$4.56 $4.56

-28.51%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.69 $1.69

26.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.88 $1.88

-5.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$5.09 $5.09

-27.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$8.03 $8.03

-53.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.13 $1.13

1.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$3.82 $3.82

-53.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$3.67 $3.67

-32.15%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.52 $3.52

10.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$16.75 $16.75

-33.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$9.07 $9.07

-27.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$13.37 $13.37

9.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$4.10 $4.10

-55.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.88 $1.88

9.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.59 $2.59

-8.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.97 $3.97

-1.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.47 $2.47

-59.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.44 $2.44

-59.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$2.04 $2.04

-22.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$2.49 $2.49

-73.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$15.17 $15.17

-47.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$20.30 $20.30

-69.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.71 $1.71

-25.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.41 $3.41

-40.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$3.07 $3.07

-50.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$139 $139

-79.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.94 $2.94

12.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.13 $2.13

-35.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$41.52 $41.52

-52.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.93 $0.93

95.70%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$35.2K $35.2K

-15.23%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$25.2K $25.2K

33.98%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$113 $113

51.07%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$57.4 $57.4

-59.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$50.7 $50.7

-54.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$45.62 $45.62

48.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$20.18 $20.18

-53.91%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$2,578 $2,578

-79.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$34.8K $34.8K

-51.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$25.10 $25.10

296.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$20.11 $20.11

116.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$29.80 $29.80

270.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$50.9 $50.9

133.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$2,347 $2,347

-64.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$2,091 $2,091

-70.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$3,812 $3,812

-58.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$3,225 $3,225

-63.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Astoria, NY: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Astoria, NY

$2.1K 63.4% 236% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Astoria, NY

$382 11.6% 48.2% $124

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Astoria, NY

$295 9% 32.4% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Astoria, NY

$221 6.7% 1.6% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Astoria, NY

$57 1.7% 66.2% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Astoria, NY

$86 2.6% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Astoria, NY

$165 5% 274% $121

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $2,347 in Astoria, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Budapest vs $81.0 in Astoria, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $382 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇺🇸 Astoria, NY

🕒 Local time

16:43 4:43 PM

10:43 10:43 AM

6 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

150,165

💱 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 = 0.889 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Astoria, NY 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Astoria, NY

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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 Astoria, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Astoria, NY differ by about 104% in total monthly costs ($1,619 vs $3,298 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,428 in Budapest and $4,947 in Astoria, NY 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: $830 in Budapest versus $2,347 in Astoria, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,619 per month in Budapest versus $3,298 in Astoria, NY – a 104% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Budapest runs roughly 397% less than in Astoria, NY. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,619 in Budapest versus $3,298 in Astoria, NY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Astoria, NY. 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 Astoria, NY 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 104% less than in Astoria, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.