Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between College Station, TX and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,108 in College Station, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in College Station, TX
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College Station, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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College Station, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,108

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,108 per month in College Station, TX vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

College Station, TX $2,108
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,162 per month in College Station, TX vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

College Station, TX $3,162
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,216 per month in College Station, TX vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

College Station, TX $4,216
Budapest $3,429

College Station, TX costs about 30% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both College Station, TX and Budapest sit above the global median – College Station, TX by 56%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.08 $15.08

$13.94 Ft 4,503

8.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 $76.5

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

24.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.24 $12.24

$10.19 Ft 3,291

20.12%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$3.26 Ft 1,055

65.34%

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

$2.84 $2.84

$2.14 Ft 690

32.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.78 Ft 577

-1.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$3.71 Ft 1,198

38.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.63 $7.63

$3.77 Ft 1,217

102.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.15 Ft 371

-33.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.79 Ft 578

86.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.49 Ft 804

56.63%

Eggs

$2.88 $2.88

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-26.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.11 $12.11

$11.10 Ft 3,587

9.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 $9.47

$6.62 Ft 2,139

43.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 $13.17

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-10.35%

Apples (1kg)

$6.37 $6.37

$1.83 Ft 591

248.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.05 Ft 661

-24.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$2.37 Ft 765

173.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$3.90 Ft 1,260

24.10%

Potato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$0.99 Ft 320

311.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.00 Ft 322

192.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.58 Ft 511

11.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.67 Ft 216

168.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.80 $8.80

$7.96 Ft 2,572

10.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 $14.12

$6.22 Ft 2,009

127.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.27 Ft 411

39.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.03 Ft 654

92.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.52 Ft 490

-32.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.08 $20.08

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-28.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.13 $10.13

$3.31 Ft 1,070

206.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.37 Ft 442

34.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 $59.6

$19.83 Ft 6,406

200.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.82 Ft 589

-50.00%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

22.89%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-26.00%

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

$175 $175

$171 Ft 55.3K

2.49%

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

$39.25 $39.25

$23.51 Ft 7,596

66.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 $55.6

$23.29 Ft 7,526

138.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.63 $25.63

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-62.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 $17.43

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-7.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.57 $11.57

$9.30 Ft 3,004

24.41%

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

$747 $747

$533 Ft 172.3K

40.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

5.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.1 $60.1

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-39.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.42 $38.42

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-11.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 $83.8

$110 Ft 35.7K

-24.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$119 Ft 38.4K

3.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 $1,128

$830 Ft 268.3K

35.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$952 $952

$622 Ft 200.9K

53.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,951 $1,951

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

22.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 $1,595

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

36.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,161 $2,161

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-62.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,178 $2,178

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-43.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,241 $4,241

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

156.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

6.45

1.86%

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

Last update for College Station, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

College Station, TX

$952 45.2%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 34.7% $330

Groceries & Markets

College Station, TX

$374 17.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 31% $116

Eating Out

College Station, TX

$281 13.4%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 20.8% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

College Station, TX

$270 12.8%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 19.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

College Station, TX

$138 6.5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 21.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

College Station, TX

$49 2.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 76.6% $37

Getting Around

College Station, TX

$43 2.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 1.8% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,128 in College Station, TX versus $830 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 157% higher in College Station, TX, 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 $77.0 in College Station, TX versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $374 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 College Station, TX

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

19:29 7:29 PM

7 h ahead of College Station, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,511

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

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).

HUF to USD in detail →

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Between locations

College Station, TX Budapest 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

College Station, TX
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 Station, TX vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – College Station, TX is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,162 per month in College Station, TX and $2,428 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.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $747 per month in College Station, TX and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in College Station, TX at $2,108. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in College Station, TX 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 Station, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.