Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Madison, IA and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
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Fort Madison, IA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $2,559
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $3,754 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $3,754
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $4,950 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $4,950
Budapest $3,483

Fort Madison, IA costs about 56% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fort Madison, IA and Budapest sit above the global median – Fort Madison, IA by 89%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$14.04 Ft 4,536

41.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

25.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 $11.40

$10.37 Ft 3,351

9.93%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$3.46 Ft 1,117

58.67%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$2.07 Ft 669

27.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.77 Ft 572

11.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 $6.13

$3.69 Ft 1,191

66.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$3.80 Ft 1,229

93.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.16 Ft 374

-9.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.85 Ft 598

86.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.40 Ft 776

79.17%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$3.99 Ft 1,289

4.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$11.40 Ft 3,683

10.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$6.87 Ft 2,221

64.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 $17.07

$14.49 Ft 4,682

17.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.88 Ft 607

160.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.14 Ft 693

-26.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.30 Ft 744

83.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$4.04 Ft 1,304

19.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.02 Ft 329

178.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$0.99 Ft 320

196.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.58 Ft 510

35.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.70 Ft 225

215.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$8.03 Ft 2,594

25.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$6.18 Ft 1,997

143.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.24 Ft 401

35.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.06 Ft 666

45.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.59 Ft 513

42.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-2.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.33 Ft 431

32.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.70 $31.70

$20.45 Ft 6,607

55.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.93 Ft 624

-52.33%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-8.87%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-31.43%

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

$201 $201

$175 Ft 56.4K

15.38%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$23.62 Ft 7,631

149.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 $71.0

$23.60 Ft 7,625

200.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-40.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$10.31 Ft 3,333

37.15%

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

$1,439 $1,439

$535 Ft 172.9K

168.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

40.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-46.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.89 $40.89

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-5.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$112 Ft 36.1K

-21.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$119 Ft 38.4K

-3.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$832 Ft 268.8K

90.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$629 Ft 203.3K

104.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

59.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 $2,141

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

78.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 $2,414

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-57.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,589 $2,589

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-34.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

6.45

1.86%

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

Last update for Fort Madison, IA: 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

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 50.3%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 51.1% $658

Groceries & Markets

Fort Madison, IA

$393 15.4%

Budapest

$262 16% 33.5% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Madison, IA

$331 13%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 33.1% $110

Eating Out

Fort Madison, IA

$322 12.6%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 29.8% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.2%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 25.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.7%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 29% $20

Getting Around

Fort Madison, IA

$21 * 0.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 107% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,582 in Fort Madison, IA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $393 vs $262 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

19:02 7:02 PM

7 h ahead of Fort Madison, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,270

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Between locations

Fort Madison, IA Budapest 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Madison, IA
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

Fort Madison, IA vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Fort Madison, IA is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,838 per month in Fort Madison, IA 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 $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA 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 50% more in Fort Madison, IA, 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 Fort Madison, IA at $2,559. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Madison, IA 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, Fort Madison, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.