Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Paso and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in El Paso and in Budapest: $1,635 and $1,619 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

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

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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El Paso

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,635

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,635 per month in El Paso vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

El Paso $1,635
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,406 per month in El Paso vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

El Paso $2,406
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,176 per month in El Paso vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

El Paso $3,176
Budapest $3,429

El Paso costs about 1% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both El Paso and Budapest sit above the global median – El Paso by 21%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.77 €14.92

$13.94 Ft 4,503

20.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.50

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-9.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.16 €9.93

$10.19 Ft 3,291

9.52%

Cappuccino

$2.37 €2.11

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-27.30%

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

$2.59 €2.31

$2.14 Ft 690

21.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.78 Ft 577

1.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-7.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 €3.24

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-3.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.15 Ft 371

6.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.79 Ft 578

-19.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.49 Ft 804

-38.15%

Eggs

$3.21 €2.85

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-17.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.62 €12.12

$11.10 Ft 3,587

22.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.22 €7.32

$6.62 Ft 2,139

24.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.92 €14.16

$14.69 Ft 4,745

8.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.83 Ft 591

36.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.05 Ft 661

0.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.37 Ft 765

-20.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-33.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$0.99 Ft 320

82.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.00 Ft 322

106.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.23

$1.58 Ft 511

-12.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.65

$0.67 Ft 216

8.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 €5.48

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-22.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 €4.84

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-12.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.27 Ft 411

-4.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.03 Ft 654

5.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.52 Ft 490

8.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.53 €28.94

$28.02 Ft 9,053

16.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$3.31 Ft 1,070

20.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 €1.23

$1.37 Ft 442

1.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.08 €20.53

$19.83 Ft 6,406

16.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.82 Ft 589

-1.65%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

17.04%

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

$28.8K €25.6K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-14.75%

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

$146 €130

$171 Ft 55.3K

-14.55%

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

$18.28 €16.26

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-22.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.34 €26.99

$23.29 Ft 7,526

30.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.48 €40.45

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-32.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.48 €13.77

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-18.05%

Cinema Ticket

$8.90 €7.92

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-4.30%

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

$485 €432

$533 Ft 172.3K

-9.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,361 €7,437

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-50.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 €76.4

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-13.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.49 €31.57

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-18.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 €80.4

$110 Ft 35.7K

-18.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €98.2

$119 Ft 38.4K

-7.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$892 €794

$830 Ft 268.3K

7.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 €603

$622 Ft 200.9K

9.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 €1,213

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-14.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 €890

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-14.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,355 €2,985

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-42.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 €1,947

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-43.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

6.45

-48.84%

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

Last update for El Paso: 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

El Paso

$678 41.5%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 8.3% $56

Groceries & Markets

El Paso

$266 16.3%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 3% $8

Eating Out

El Paso

$238 14.6%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 6.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Paso

$195 11.9%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 11.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

El Paso

$145 8.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 15.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

El Paso

$63 3.9%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 36.1% $23

Getting Around

El Paso

$50 3.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 11.6% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $892 in El Paso 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in El Paso versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in El Paso vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 El Paso

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

23:46 11:46 PM

00:46 12:46 AM

1 h ahead of El Paso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

700

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

El Paso Budapest 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – El Paso is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,453 per month in El Paso 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 16% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $485 per month in El Paso 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 El Paso at $1,635. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in El Paso 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 makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.