Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edison, NJ and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $3,191 in Edison, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Edison, NJ
Learn more

Edison, NJ Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Edison, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,191

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,191 per month in Edison, NJ vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Edison, NJ $3,191
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $4,474 per month in Edison, NJ vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Edison, NJ $4,474
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $5,758 per month in Edison, NJ vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Edison, NJ $5,758
Budapest $3,429

Edison, NJ costs about 97% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Edison, NJ and Budapest sit above the global median – Edison, NJ by 136%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.28 $18.28

$13.94 Ft 4,503

31.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.0 $60.0

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-2.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 $9.11

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-10.60%

Cappuccino

$4.10 $4.10

$3.26 Ft 1,055

25.77%

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

$1.02 $1.02

$2.14 Ft 690

-52.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.78 Ft 577

-44.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-4.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$3.77 Ft 1,217

84.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.15 Ft 371

-13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.79 Ft 578

79.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.49 Ft 804

136.14%

Eggs

$2.57 $2.57

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-34.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$11.10 Ft 3,587

20.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$6.62 Ft 2,139

54.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.57 $19.57

$14.69 Ft 4,745

33.22%

Apples (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$1.83 Ft 591

239.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.05 Ft 661

-24.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.37 Ft 765

77.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$3.90 Ft 1,260

38.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$0.99 Ft 320

201.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.00 Ft 322

205.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.58 Ft 511

92.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.67 Ft 216

202.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 $9.94

$7.96 Ft 2,572

24.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 $14.85

$6.22 Ft 2,009

138.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.27 Ft 411

41.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.03 Ft 654

72.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.02 $6.02

$1.52 Ft 490

296.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$203 $203

$28.02 Ft 9,053

624.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-6.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.37 Ft 442

-30.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.80 $41.80

$19.83 Ft 6,406

110.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.82 Ft 589

-47.25%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

20.93%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-24.89%

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

$172 $172

$171 Ft 55.3K

0.61%

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

$51.4 $51.4

$23.51 Ft 7,596

118.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.68 $49.68

$23.29 Ft 7,526

113.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.66 $21.66

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-67.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 $15.11

$9.30 Ft 3,004

62.47%

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

$2,005 $2,005

$533 Ft 172.3K

276.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K $16.0K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-4.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-48.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.7 $79.7

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

83.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 $59.5

$110 Ft 35.7K

-46.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 $89.2

$119 Ft 38.4K

-25.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 $2,096

$830 Ft 268.3K

152.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 $1,835

$622 Ft 200.9K

195.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,113 $3,113

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

95.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,796 $2,796

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

138.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,924 $6,924

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

319.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

6.45

-0.47%

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

Last update for Edison, NJ: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edison, NJ

$1.8K 57.5%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 66.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Edison, NJ

$408 12.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 36.7% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edison, NJ

$273 8.6%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 20.2% $55

Eating Out

Edison, NJ

$262 8.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 15% $39

Getting Around

Edison, NJ

$235 7.4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 81.2% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Edison, NJ

$126 3.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 33.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Edison, NJ

$52 1.6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 66% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,096 in Edison, NJ 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 319% higher in Edison, NJ, 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 $60.0 in Edison, NJ versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $408 in Edison, NJ vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Edison, NJ

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

18:44 6:44 PM

6 h ahead of Edison, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,588

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Edison, NJ Budapest 7,050 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Edison, NJ
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

Edison, NJ vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edison, NJ is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,787 per month in Edison, NJ 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 625% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,005 per month in Edison, NJ 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 Edison, NJ at $3,191. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edison, NJ 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, Edison, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.