Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Brookhaven, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,722 in Brookhaven, NY, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Brookhaven, NY
Learn more

Brookhaven, NY Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Brookhaven, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Budapest versus $2,722 in Brookhaven, NY.

Budapest $1,641
Brookhaven, NY $2,722

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,562 in Budapest versus $4,065 in Brookhaven, NY.

Budapest $2,562
Brookhaven, NY $4,065

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,483 in Budapest versus $5,408 in Brookhaven, NY.

Budapest $3,483
Brookhaven, NY $5,408

Living in Budapest costs roughly 40% less than in Brookhaven, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 21% above, Brookhaven, NY 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$24.74 $24.74

-43.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$98.9 $98.9

-38.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$11.20 $11.20

-7.41%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$5.35 $5.35

-35.33%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$2.24 $2.24

-7.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$1.54 $1.54

14.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$8.01 $8.01

-53.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$8.20 $8.20

-53.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.26 $1.26

-7.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$4.31 $4.31

-57.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$7.76 $7.76

-69.07%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$5.75 $5.75

-30.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$12.61 $12.61

-9.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$11.62 $11.62

-40.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$17.07 $17.07

-15.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$5.54 $5.54

-66.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.73 $1.73

23.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$6.16 $6.16

-62.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$6.14 $6.14

-34.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$5.47 $5.47

-81.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.77 $3.77

-73.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$2.79 $2.79

-43.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$2.94 $2.94

-76.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$11.50 $11.50

-30.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$24.08 $24.08

-74.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.71 $1.71

-27.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$5.49 $5.49

-62.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$1.86 $1.86

-14.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$2.93 $2.93

17.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$2.03 $2.03

-34.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$23.54 $23.54

-13.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.10 $1.10

75.45%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$27.6K $27.6K

5.65%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$26.7K $26.7K

30.02%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$211 $211

-17.17%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$75.6 $75.6

-68.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$64.3 $64.3

-63.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$40.96 $40.96

68.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$14.76 $14.76

-30.15%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$2,237 $2,237

-76.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$23.6K $23.6K

-28.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$41.13 $41.13

142.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$56.5 $56.5

-23.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$76.1 $76.1

46.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$158 $158

-24.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$1,587 $1,587

-47.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$1,275 $1,275

-50.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$2,527 $2,527

-37.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$2,118 $2,118

-43.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$3,099 $3,099

84.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$2,127 $2,127

85.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.75

-4.44%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Brookhaven, NY: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Brookhaven, NY

$1.3K 46.9% 103% $646

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Brookhaven, NY

$489 18% 86.7% $227

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Brookhaven, NY

$367 13.5% 62.3% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Brookhaven, NY

$351 12.9% 58.1% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Brookhaven, NY

$149 5.5% 11.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Brookhaven, NY

$70 2.6% 21.2% $19

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Brookhaven, NY

$21 * 0.8% 53.4% $23

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 $1,587 in Brookhaven, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Budapest vs $99.0 in Brookhaven, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $489 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇺🇸 Brookhaven, NY

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

20:07 8:07 PM

6 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

11,674

💱 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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Brookhaven, NY 6,930 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Brookhaven, NY

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 Brookhaven, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 66% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,461 in Budapest and $4,083 in Brookhaven, 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: $832 in Budapest versus $1,587 in Brookhaven, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 87% higher in Brookhaven, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,641 per month in Budapest versus $2,722 in Brookhaven, NY – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,641 in Budapest versus $2,722 in Brookhaven, NY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Brookhaven, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Budapest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Budapest is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Brookhaven, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Brookhaven, 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 66% less than in Brookhaven, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.