Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Dorado, AR and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $1,746 in El Dorado, AR, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in El Dorado, AR
Learn more

El Dorado, AR Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

El Dorado, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,746

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,746 per month in El Dorado, AR vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

El Dorado, AR $1,746
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $2,547 per month in El Dorado, AR vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

El Dorado, AR $2,547
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $3,348 per month in El Dorado, AR vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

El Dorado, AR $3,348
Budapest $3,483

El Dorado, AR costs about 6% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both El Dorado, AR and Budapest sit above the global median – El Dorado, AR by 29%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.29 $17.29

$14.04 Ft 4,536

23.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 $59.0

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-3.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 $10.86

$10.37 Ft 3,351

4.73%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$3.46 Ft 1,117

45.66%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$2.07 Ft 669

46.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.77 Ft 572

36.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.69 Ft 1,191

34.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.31 $6.31

$3.80 Ft 1,229

66.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.16 Ft 374

-5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.85 Ft 598

45.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.40 Ft 776

16.67%

Eggs

$3.36 $3.36

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-10.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.99 $11.99

$6.87 Ft 2,221

74.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.50 $22.50

$14.49 Ft 4,682

55.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.88 Ft 607

129.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.14 Ft 693

-32.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.30 Ft 744

94.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-6.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.02 Ft 329

53.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.99 Ft 320

153.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.58 Ft 510

21.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.70 Ft 225

162.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.36 $9.36

$8.03 Ft 2,594

16.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.55 $13.55

$6.18 Ft 1,997

119.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.24 Ft 401

42.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.06 Ft 666

-17.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.59 Ft 513

13.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-28.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.33 Ft 431

14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.11 $24.11

$20.45 Ft 6,607

17.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.93 Ft 624

-52.33%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-8.28%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-24.22%

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

$134 $134

$175 Ft 56.4K

-23.52%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$23.62 Ft 7,631

153.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.23 $39.23

$23.60 Ft 7,625

66.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 $42.36

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-38.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$9.09 $9.09

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-11.83%

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

$1,036 $1,036

$535 Ft 172.9K

93.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K $19.1K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

13.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-49.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 $34.32

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-20.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 $79.1

$112 Ft 36.1K

-29.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.0 $61.0

$119 Ft 38.4K

-48.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 $1,537

$832 Ft 268.8K

84.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 $678

$629 Ft 203.3K

7.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 $1,892

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

19.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$941 $941

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-21.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,185 $1,185

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-79.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,146 $1,146

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-70.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,169 $4,169

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

143.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

6.45

4.65%

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

Last update for El Dorado, AR: October 18, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Dorado, AR

$678 38.8%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 7.1% $48

Groceries & Markets

El Dorado, AR

$366 21%

Budapest

$262 16% 28.5% $105

Eating Out

El Dorado, AR

$291 16.6%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 22.1% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Dorado, AR

$233 13.3%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 4.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

El Dorado, AR

$101 5.8%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 66% $67

Sport & Entertainment

El Dorado, AR

$61 3.5%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 47.8% $29

Getting Around

El Dorado, AR

$17 * 1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 155% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,537 in El Dorado, AR versus $832 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 144% higher in El Dorado, AR, 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 $59.0 in El Dorado, AR versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $366 in El Dorado, AR vs $262 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Dorado, AR

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

14:23 2:23 PM

7 h ahead of El Dorado, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,756

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 22, 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

El Dorado, AR Budapest 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

El Dorado, AR
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

El Dorado, AR vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – El Dorado, AR is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,619 per month in El Dorado, AR and $2,461 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 $59.0 in El Dorado, AR and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in El Dorado, AR, 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 $1,641, than in El Dorado, AR at $1,746. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in El Dorado, AR 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, El Dorado, AR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.