Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellensburg, WA and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,373 in Ellensburg, WA, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Ellensburg, WA
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Ellensburg, WA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Ellensburg, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,373

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,373 per month in Ellensburg, WA vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Ellensburg, WA $2,373
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,450 per month in Ellensburg, WA vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Ellensburg, WA $3,450
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,527 per month in Ellensburg, WA vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Ellensburg, WA $4,527
Budapest $3,429

Ellensburg, WA costs about 47% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ellensburg, WA and Budapest sit above the global median – Ellensburg, WA by 76%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.04 $15.04

$13.94 Ft 4,503

7.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

20.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.93 $11.93

$10.19 Ft 3,291

17.08%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$3.26 Ft 1,055

60.43%

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

$1.53 $1.53

$2.14 Ft 690

-28.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.78 Ft 577

-32.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.96 $4.96

$3.71 Ft 1,198

33.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 $5.96

$3.77 Ft 1,217

58.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.15 Ft 371

-13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.79 Ft 578

55.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.49 Ft 804

87.55%

Eggs

$4.23 $4.23

$3.90 Ft 1,261

8.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 $15.58

$11.10 Ft 3,587

40.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 $6.53

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-1.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.85 $13.85

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-5.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$1.83 Ft 591

163.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$2.05 Ft 661

-29.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.37 Ft 765

79.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.90 Ft 1,260

1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$0.99 Ft 320

51.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.00 Ft 322

121.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.58 Ft 511

29.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.67 Ft 216

171.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.83 $9.83

$7.96 Ft 2,572

23.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.86 $13.86

$6.22 Ft 2,009

122.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.27 Ft 411

42.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.03 Ft 654

144.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.52 Ft 490

32.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.31 Ft 1,070

53.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.37 Ft 442

27.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.36 $40.36

$19.83 Ft 6,406

103.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.82 Ft 589

-40.66%

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

$32.0K $32.0K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

7.38%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-22.52%

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

$152 $152

$171 Ft 55.3K

-11.20%

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

$39.44 $39.44

$23.51 Ft 7,596

67.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$23.29 Ft 7,526

197.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.32 $42.32

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-37.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 $15.73

$9.30 Ft 3,004

69.14%

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

$1,360 $1,360

$533 Ft 172.3K

155.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K $21.8K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

29.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.99 $34.99

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-64.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.67 $34.67

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-20.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$110 Ft 35.7K

-2.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.70 $40.70

$119 Ft 38.4K

-65.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 $1,571

$830 Ft 268.3K

89.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 $1,302

$622 Ft 200.9K

109.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,528 $2,528

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

58.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 $2,111

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

80.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,525 $4,525

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-22.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,445 $4,445

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

14.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,770 $1,770

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

7.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

6.45

0.78%

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

Last update for Ellensburg, WA: 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

Ellensburg, WA

$1.3K 54.9%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 52.2% $680

Groceries & Markets

Ellensburg, WA

$350 14.7%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 26.2% $92

Eating Out

Ellensburg, WA

$267 11.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 16.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ellensburg, WA

$261 11%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 16.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Ellensburg, WA

$98 4.1%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 70.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Ellensburg, WA

$74 3.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 16.7% $12

Getting Around

Ellensburg, WA

$22 * 0.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 102% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,571 in Ellensburg, WA 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 7% higher in Ellensburg, WA, 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 $74.0 in Ellensburg, WA versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ellensburg, WA

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

10:30 10:30 AM

9 h ahead of Ellensburg, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,666

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 →

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Ellensburg, WA Budapest 8,800 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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

Ellensburg, WA vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ellensburg, WA is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,559 per month in Ellensburg, WA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Ellensburg, WA 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 36% more in Ellensburg, WA, 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 $1,619, than in Ellensburg, WA at $2,373. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ellensburg, WA 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, Ellensburg, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.