Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elgin, IL and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Elgin, IL: $1,035 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Elgin, IL
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Elgin, IL Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Elgin, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,035

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,035 per month in Elgin, IL vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Elgin, IL $1,035
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,614 per month in Elgin, IL vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Elgin, IL $2,614
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,192 per month in Elgin, IL vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Elgin, IL $4,192
Budapest $3,489

Elgin, IL is about 36% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Elgin, IL sits 23% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.93 $19.93

$13.99 Ft 4,551

42.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 $59.5

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-1.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$9.96 Ft 3,241

1.10%

Cappuccino

$3.90 $3.90

$3.38 Ft 1,100

15.38%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$2.13 Ft 692

42.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.87 Ft 608

9.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$3.75 Ft 1,221

58.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.57 Ft 1,162

37.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.13 Ft 368

-21.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$1.84 Ft 599

92.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.39 Ft 777

81.59%

Eggs

$3.73 $3.73

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-2.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.35 $11.35

$11.33 Ft 3,686

0.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.45 $13.45

$6.74 Ft 2,192

99.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.71 $11.71

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-20.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$1.84 Ft 597

144.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.01 Ft 653

-36.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.36 Ft 767

8.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$3.77 Ft 1,226

11.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.96 Ft 313

107.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.03 Ft 334

101.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.56 Ft 509

17.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.66 Ft 216

259.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.79 $10.79

$7.96 Ft 2,591

35.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 $15.56

$6.01 Ft 1,954

158.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.30 Ft 421

101.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.08 Ft 676

67.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.30 Ft 1,074

23.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.30 Ft 424

55.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.28 $28.28

$19.78 Ft 6,436

42.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.81 Ft 591

-42.54%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

24.55%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-26.90%

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

$99.4 $99.4

$170 Ft 55.3K

-41.53%

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

$52.2 $52.2

$23.98 Ft 7,802

117.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.61 $49.61

$23.42 Ft 7,621

111.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$9.52 Ft 3,098

55.04%

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

$1,690 $1,690

$537 Ft 174.6K

214.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

39.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.27 $39.27

$101 Ft 33.0K

-61.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 $50.2

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

16.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$113 Ft 36.7K

-10.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$119 Ft 38.6K

3.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,175 $2,175

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

40.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,811 $1,811

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

55.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,192 $2,192

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-60.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,211 $2,211

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-44.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,971 $3,971

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

144.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

6.43

4.04%

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

Last update for Elgin, IL: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Elgin, IL

$371 35.3%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 30.6% $114

Eating Out

Elgin, IL

$296 28.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 24.3% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elgin, IL

$201 19.1%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Elgin, IL

$141 13.3%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 20.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Elgin, IL

$30 * 2.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 189% $56

Getting Around

Elgin, IL

$14 * 1.4%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 207% $29

Accommodation & Living

Elgin, IL

- * 0%

Budapest

$629 38.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 144% higher in Elgin, IL, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Elgin, IL versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $371 in Elgin, IL vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elgin, IL

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

19:09 7:09 PM

02:09 2:09 AM

7 h ahead of Elgin, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,603

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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 11, 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

Elgin, IL Budapest 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Elgin, IL
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

Elgin, IL vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,553 per month in Elgin, IL and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Elgin, IL and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 44% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elgin, IL, where all-in costs run around $1,035, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Elgin, IL it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elgin, IL – 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 Elgin, IL. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.