Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between College Park, MD and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,365 in College Park, MD, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

163

Cost of Living Index in College Park, MD
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College Park, MD Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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College Park, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,365

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in College Park, MD and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $3,365 per month in College Park, MD vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

College Park, MD $3,365
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $4,621 per month in College Park, MD vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

College Park, MD $4,621
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,876 per month in College Park, MD vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

College Park, MD $5,876
Budapest $3,489

College Park, MD costs about 108% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both College Park, MD and Budapest sit above the global median – College Park, MD by 151%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.68 $15.68

$13.99 Ft 4,551

12.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.2 $70.2

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

16.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 $9.82

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-1.41%

Cappuccino

$4.62 $4.62

$3.38 Ft 1,100

36.69%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$2.13 Ft 692

23.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.87 Ft 608

-7.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.55 $6.55

$3.75 Ft 1,221

74.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$3.57 Ft 1,162

70.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.13 Ft 368

-19.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.84 Ft 599

35.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$2.39 Ft 777

125.10%

Eggs

$2.00 $2.00

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-47.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-45.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$6.74 Ft 2,192

0.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.25 $20.25

$14.69 Ft 4,780

37.85%

Apples (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$1.84 Ft 597

251.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.01 Ft 653

-34.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.39 $7.39

$2.36 Ft 767

213.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$3.77 Ft 1,226

47.75%

Potato (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$0.96 Ft 313

425.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.03 Ft 334

223.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.56 Ft 509

-33.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.66 Ft 216

393.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.19 $9.19

$7.96 Ft 2,591

15.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.80 $11.80

$6.01 Ft 1,954

96.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.30 Ft 421

32.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.08 Ft 676

77.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.50 Ft 489

105.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 $4.04

$3.30 Ft 1,074

22.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.30 Ft 424

59.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.45 $25.45

$19.78 Ft 6,436

28.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.81 Ft 591

-48.62%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

23.77%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-25.48%

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

$245 $245

$170 Ft 55.3K

43.97%

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

$50.0 $50.0

$23.98 Ft 7,802

108.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 $67.5

$23.42 Ft 7,621

188.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.58 $40.58

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-38.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$9.52 Ft 3,098

58.19%

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

$2,026 $2,026

$537 Ft 174.6K

277.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.52 $47.52

$101 Ft 33.0K

-53.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 $32.02

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-25.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$113 Ft 36.7K

3.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$119 Ft 38.6K

12.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,282 $2,282

$805 Ft 262.0K

183.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 $2,080

$629 Ft 204.7K

230.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,844 $3,844

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

148.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,140 $3,140

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

169.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,363 $6,363

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

291.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.23

6.43

-3.11%

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

Last update for College Park, MD: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

College Park, MD

$2.1K 62.3%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 69.8% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

College Park, MD

$379 11.3%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 32% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

College Park, MD

$362 10.9%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 40% $145

Eating Out

College Park, MD

$273 8.2%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 17.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

College Park, MD

$148 4.4%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 14.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

College Park, MD

$71 2.1%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 20.6% $15

Getting Around

College Park, MD

$27 * 0.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 62.5% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,282 in College Park, MD versus $805 in Budapest. 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 291% higher in College Park, MD, 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 $70.0 in College Park, MD versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 College Park, MD

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:58 2:58 PM

20:58 8:58 PM

6 h ahead of College Park, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,740

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

HUF to USD in detail →

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Between locations

College Park, MD Budapest 7,320 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

College Park, MD
Budapest

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

College Park, MD vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – College Park, MD is pricier by about 108%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,047 per month in College Park, MD and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in College Park, MD and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in College Park, MD, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in College Park, MD at $3,365. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in College Park, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, College Park, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.