Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Montana

For one person, living is cheaper in Montana: $833 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Montana
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Montana Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Montana

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$833

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Montana

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $833 in Montana, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Montana $833

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,339 in Montana, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Montana $1,339

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,846 in Montana, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Montana $1,846

Budapest costs about 94% more than Montana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Montana is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,523

$9.04 BGN 15.83

54.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$36.16 BGN 63.3

69.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,306

$9.85 BGN 17.24

3.45%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,059

$1.39 BGN 2.43

134.53%

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

$2.14 Ft 694

$1.38 BGN 2.42

55.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$1.11 BGN 1.94

60.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$1.28 BGN 2.24

189.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$1.01 BGN 1.77

273.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.69 BGN 2.96

-31.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$1.00 BGN 1.76

79.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 807

$2.10 BGN 3.68

18.57%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$2.72 BGN 4.77

43.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,604

$9.73 BGN 17.03

14.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$3.25 BGN 5.68

103.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,767

$12.63 BGN 22.10

16.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$1.21 BGN 2.12

51.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.78 BGN 3.12

15.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$1.76 BGN 3.07

34.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$2.56 BGN 4.49

52.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$0.70 BGN 1.23

41.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$0.93 BGN 1.62

7.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$0.90 BGN 1.58

75.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.49 BGN 0.86

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,584

$3.68 BGN 6.44

116.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,018

$6.31 BGN 11.04

-1.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$0.89 BGN 1.55

42.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

$1.12 BGN 1.97

81.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$0.89 BGN 1.56

70.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,095

$24.29 BGN 42.50

15.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$0.66 BGN 1.15

401.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.47 BGN 0.83

191.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,436

$10.36 BGN 18.12

91.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.58 BGN 2.76

15.19%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$19.6K BGN 34.3K

52.03%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$23.7K BGN 41.5K

42.75%

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

$171 Ft 55.5K

$99.8 BGN 175

71.51%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,631

$18.72 BGN 32.77

25.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,560

$8.52 BGN 14.90

173.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$29.86 BGN 52.3

126.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,133

$17.20 BGN 30.10

9.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,018

$5.31 BGN 9.29

75.14%

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

$533 Ft 173.1K

$522 BGN 914

2.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,479 BGN 9,589

205.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$67.8 BGN 119

46.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$42.05 BGN 73.6

3.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$94.7 BGN 166

16.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$105 BGN 183

13.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$214 BGN 374

288.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

$160 BGN 280

288.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.2K

$404 BGN 707

294.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.9K

$304 BGN 532

285.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,329 BGN 2,326

338.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,078 BGN 1,886

260.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.9K

$992 BGN 1,737

66.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.1

108.06%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Montana: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Montana

$160 19.2% 74.3% $462

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Montana

$199 23.9% 22.9% $59

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Montana

$137 16.4% 38.6% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Montana

$127 15.2% 41.7% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Montana

$139 16.7% 17% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Montana

$40 4.9% 53% $46

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Montana

$31 3.7% 30.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $214 in Montana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 66% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $36.00 in Montana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $199 – making Montana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇬 Montana

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

00:22 12:22 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

44,502

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Montana 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Montana

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 Montana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 94%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,250 in Montana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Montana. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $522 in Montana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Montana, where all-in costs run around $833, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Montana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montana – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Montana. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.