Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Paso, TX and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,130 in El Paso, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in El Paso, TX
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El Paso, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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El Paso, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,130

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,130 per month in El Paso, TX vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

El Paso, TX $2,130
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,193 per month in El Paso, TX vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

El Paso, TX $3,193
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,257 per month in El Paso, TX vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

El Paso, TX $4,257
Budapest $3,489

El Paso, TX costs about 31% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both El Paso, TX and Budapest sit above the global median – El Paso, TX by 59%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 $18.73

$13.99 Ft 4,551

33.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 $77.0

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

27.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.19 $12.19

$9.96 Ft 3,241

22.39%

Cappuccino

$6.19 $6.19

$3.38 Ft 1,100

83.14%

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

$2.30 $2.30

$2.13 Ft 692

7.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.87 Ft 608

-17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.75 Ft 1,221

56.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 $6.61

$3.57 Ft 1,162

85.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.13 Ft 368

-23.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.84 Ft 599

63.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.39 Ft 777

2.51%

Eggs

$3.61 $3.61

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-5.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.94 $11.94

$11.33 Ft 3,686

5.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.76 $11.76

$6.74 Ft 2,192

74.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 $13.07

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-11.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.84 Ft 597

95.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.01 Ft 653

-26.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.36 Ft 767

9.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-5.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.96 Ft 313

125.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.03 Ft 334

171.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.56 Ft 509

12.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.66 Ft 216

139.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.43 $9.43

$7.96 Ft 2,591

18.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.54 $9.54

$6.01 Ft 1,954

58.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.30 Ft 421

60.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.08 Ft 676

127.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.50 Ft 489

-2.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.29 $48.29

$27.61 Ft 8,982

74.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 $1.69

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-48.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.30 Ft 424

6.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 $27.39

$19.78 Ft 6,436

38.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.81 Ft 591

-46.96%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

25.27%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-27.45%

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

$163 $163

$170 Ft 55.3K

-4.37%

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

$70.4 $70.4

$23.98 Ft 7,802

193.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$23.42 Ft 7,621

193.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.42 $18.42

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-72.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.56 $8.56

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-55.37%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 $12.05

$9.52 Ft 3,098

26.58%

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

$579 $579

$537 Ft 174.6K

7.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,916 $6,916

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-58.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.02 $47.02

$101 Ft 33.0K

-53.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.19 $36.19

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-15.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$113 Ft 36.7K

-9.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$174 $174

$119 Ft 38.6K

46.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 $1,155

$805 Ft 262.0K

43.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 $890

$629 Ft 204.7K

41.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 $1,738

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

12.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 $1,480

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

26.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,781 $1,781

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-68.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,746 $1,746

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-56.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,336 $3,336

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

105.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

6.43

1.24%

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

Last update for El Paso, TX: October 6, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Paso, TX

$890 42.3%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 29.3% $261

Groceries & Markets

El Paso, TX

$329 15.6%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 21.7% $71

Eating Out

El Paso, TX

$319 15.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 29.6% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Paso, TX

$302 14.3%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 28% $84

Clothing & Footwear

El Paso, TX

$162 7.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 4.6% $7.4

Getting Around

El Paso, TX

$63 3%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 30.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

El Paso, TX

$43 2%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 101% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,155 in El Paso, TX 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 105% higher in El Paso, 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 El Paso, TX versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Paso, TX

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

09:31 9:31 AM

8 h ahead of El Paso, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

678,815

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

El Paso, TX Budapest 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

El Paso, 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

El Paso, TX vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – El Paso, TX is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,195 per month in El Paso, TX 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.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $579 per month in El Paso, TX and $537 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 $1,621, than in El Paso, TX at $2,130. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in El Paso, 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, El Paso, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.