Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fresno, CA and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,894 in Fresno, CA, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Fresno, CA
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Fresno, CA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Fresno, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,894

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,894 per month in Fresno, CA vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Fresno, CA $2,894
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $4,460 per month in Fresno, CA vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Fresno, CA $4,460
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $6,026 per month in Fresno, CA vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Fresno, CA $6,026
Budapest $3,489

Fresno, CA costs about 78% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fresno, CA and Budapest sit above the global median – Fresno, CA by 116%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.18 $20.18

$13.99 Ft 4,551

44.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.5 $70.5

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

16.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.12 $14.12

$9.96 Ft 3,241

41.77%

Cappuccino

$5.15 $5.15

$3.38 Ft 1,100

52.37%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$2.13 Ft 692

41.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.87 Ft 608

14.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 $6.79

$3.75 Ft 1,221

81.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 $9.11

$3.57 Ft 1,162

155.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.13 Ft 368

-0.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.84 Ft 599

45.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.39 Ft 777

95.40%

Eggs

$5.38 $5.38

$3.83 Ft 1,245

40.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.02 $11.02

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-2.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 $9.57

$6.74 Ft 2,192

41.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.58 $15.58

$14.69 Ft 4,780

6.06%

Apples (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$1.84 Ft 597

175.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.01 Ft 653

1.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.36 Ft 767

83.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-13.79%

Potato (1kg)

$7.93 $7.93

$0.96 Ft 313

726.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.03 Ft 334

164.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.56 Ft 509

56.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$0.66 Ft 216

359.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.19 $12.19

$7.96 Ft 2,591

53.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.06 $18.06

$6.01 Ft 1,954

200.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.30 Ft 421

68.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.40 $6.40

$2.08 Ft 676

207.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.50 Ft 489

-19.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.99 $47.99

$27.61 Ft 8,982

73.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 $4.14

$3.30 Ft 1,074

25.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.30 Ft 424

16.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.90 $27.90

$19.78 Ft 6,436

41.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.81 Ft 591

-19.34%

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

$37.5K $37.5K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

27.80%

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

$30.6K $30.6K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-10.35%

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

$238 $238

$170 Ft 55.3K

40.00%

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

$53.3 $53.3

$23.98 Ft 7,802

122.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.8 $76.8

$23.42 Ft 7,621

227.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.32 $38.32

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-42.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.97 $41.97

$19.18 Ft 6,239

118.82%

Cinema Ticket

$17.44 $17.44

$9.52 Ft 3,098

83.19%

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

$1,206 $1,206

$537 Ft 174.6K

124.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K $12.9K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-22.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 $60.3

$101 Ft 33.0K

-40.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.19 $43.19

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

0.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 $97.3

$113 Ft 36.7K

-13.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$174 $174

$119 Ft 38.6K

46.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,712 $1,712

$805 Ft 262.0K

112.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 $1,462

$629 Ft 204.7K

132.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,183 $3,183

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

105.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,902 $2,902

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

148.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,700 $2,700

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-51.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,120 $3,120

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-21.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,687 $3,687

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

126.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

6.43

-0.47%

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

Last update for Fresno, CA: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fresno, CA

$1.5K 50.6%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 57% $833

Groceries & Markets

Fresno, CA

$412 14.3%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 37.5% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fresno, CA

$368 12.8%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 40.9% $151

Eating Out

Fresno, CA

$338 11.7%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 33.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Fresno, CA

$169 5.8%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Fresno, CA

$73 2.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 16.5% $12

Getting Around

Fresno, CA

$65 2.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 32.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,712 in Fresno, CA 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 127% higher in Fresno, CA, 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 $71.0 in Fresno, CA versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $412 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fresno, CA

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

09:18 9:18 AM

9 h ahead of Fresno, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,052

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

Fresno, CA Budapest 9,790 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Fresno, CA
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

Fresno, CA vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Fresno, CA is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,341 per month in Fresno, CA 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 74% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,206 per month in Fresno, CA 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 Fresno, CA at $2,894. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fresno, CA 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, Fresno, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.