Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Augusta, ME

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,638 a month against $2,388 in Augusta, ME, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Augusta, ME
Learn more

Augusta, ME Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Augusta, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Augusta, ME

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 Augusta, ME actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,638 in Budapest versus $2,388 in Augusta, ME.

Budapest $1,638
Augusta, ME $2,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,553 in Budapest versus $3,317 in Augusta, ME.

Budapest $2,553
Augusta, ME $3,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,467 in Budapest versus $4,246 in Augusta, ME.

Budapest $3,467
Augusta, ME $4,246

Living in Budapest costs roughly 31% less than in Augusta, ME, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 20% above, Augusta, ME 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,552

$19.90 $19.90

-30.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

$53.1 $53.1

15.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,349

$10.39 $10.39

-2.21%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,062

$5.40 $5.40

-40.37%

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

$2.06 Ft 680

$2.36 $2.36

-12.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 605

$1.59 $1.59

15.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,188

$5.02 $5.02

-28.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,208

$7.72 $7.72

-52.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.14 $1.14

4.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 617

$4.56 $4.56

-58.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 780

$1.45 $1.45

63.45%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,305

$3.96 $3.96

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,680

$15.09 $15.09

-26.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,228

$14.12 $14.12

-52.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,731

$19.52 $19.52

-26.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 596

$7.48 $7.48

-75.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$1.31 $1.31

61.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 770

$3.09 $3.09

-24.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,254

$4.59 $4.59

-17.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$2.33 $2.33

-57.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$2.86 $2.86

-65.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 512

$2.08 $2.08

-25.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 230

$1.81 $1.81

-61.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,569

$11.98 $11.98

-34.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,995

$12.99 $12.99

-53.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$1.56 $1.56

-17.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 672

$1.55 $1.55

31.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$2.55 $2.55

29.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$1.27 $1.27

3.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,679

$28.55 $28.55

-29.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 600

$0.90 $0.90

102.22%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$29.6K $29.6K

-2.89%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$24.3K $24.3K

36.29%

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

$172 Ft 56.8K

$243 $243

-29.13%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,897

$45.59 $45.59

-47.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,685

$61.0 $61.0

-61.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$22.60 $22.60

203.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,356

$14.13 $14.13

-27.95%

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

$600 Ft 197.9K

$2,656 $2,656

-77.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$36.6K $36.6K

-54.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$73.5 $73.5

34.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

$50.9 $50.9

-15.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$113 $113

-0.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$154 $154

-24.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

$1,200 $1,200

-30.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

$1,078 $1,078

-40.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

$1,602 $1,602

-0.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

$1,473 $1,473

-18.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$2,386 $2,386

135.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$2,378 $2,378

59.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

$1,948 $1,948

-14.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.3

2.38%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Augusta, ME: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Augusta, ME

$1.1K 45.2% 68.5% $438

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Augusta, ME

$413 17.3% 59.9% $155

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Augusta, ME

$312 13% 41.3% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Augusta, ME

$349 14.6% 59.3% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Augusta, ME

$176 7.4% 5.3% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Augusta, ME

$51 2.1% 42.8% $38

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Augusta, ME

$8.9 * 0.4% 79.5% $34

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 $836 in Budapest and $1,200 in Augusta, ME. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Augusta, ME pays 17% 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 in Budapest vs $53 in Augusta, ME. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $413, with Budapest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇺🇸 Augusta, ME

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

12:19 12:19 PM

5 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

194,343

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Augusta, ME 6,490 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Augusta, ME

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 Augusta, ME: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Augusta, ME differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($1,638 vs $2,388 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Budapest. 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: $836 in Budapest versus $1,200 in Augusta, ME. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $600 in Budapest versus $2,656 in Augusta, ME. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Augusta, ME – a meal for two runs $53 versus $61 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Budapest wins on affordability, Augusta, ME on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.