Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galveston, TX and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,217 in Galveston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Galveston, TX
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Galveston, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Galveston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,217

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,217 per month in Galveston, TX vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Galveston, TX $2,217
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,211 per month in Galveston, TX vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Galveston, TX $3,211
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,204 per month in Galveston, TX vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Galveston, TX $4,204
Budapest $3,429

Galveston, TX costs about 37% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Galveston, TX and Budapest sit above the global median – Galveston, TX by 64%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.68 $21.68

$13.94 Ft 4,503

55.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 $77.0

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

25.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$10.19 Ft 3,291

18.74%

Cappuccino

$7.86 $7.86

$3.26 Ft 1,055

141.10%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$2.14 Ft 690

36.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.78 Ft 577

-3.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.71 Ft 1,198

32.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 $3.88

$3.77 Ft 1,217

2.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.15 Ft 371

-29.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.79 Ft 578

43.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.49 Ft 804

18.47%

Eggs

$2.84 $2.84

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-27.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.15 $11.15

$11.10 Ft 3,587

0.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 $9.60

$6.62 Ft 2,139

45.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.32 $13.32

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-9.33%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$1.83 Ft 591

204.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$2.05 Ft 661

-24.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.37 Ft 765

31.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-1.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.99 Ft 320

116.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.00 Ft 322

154.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.58 Ft 511

11.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.67 Ft 216

173.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.49 $8.49

$7.96 Ft 2,572

6.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.29 $11.29

$6.22 Ft 2,009

81.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.27 Ft 411

33.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.03 Ft 654

-11.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.52 Ft 490

28.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.52 $32.52

$28.02 Ft 9,053

16.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.11 $10.11

$3.31 Ft 1,070

205.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.37 Ft 442

33.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.9 $59.9

$19.83 Ft 6,406

202.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.82 Ft 589

-49.45%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-1.26%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-25.39%

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

$179 $179

$171 Ft 55.3K

4.51%

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

$42.34 $42.34

$23.51 Ft 7,596

80.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.66 $39.66

$23.29 Ft 7,526

70.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.15 $34.15

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-49.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$11.58 $11.58

$9.30 Ft 3,004

24.52%

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

$746 $746

$533 Ft 172.3K

39.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K $18.0K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

7.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.83 $42.83

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-57.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.03 $39.03

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-10.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 $71.5

$110 Ft 35.7K

-35.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.9 $80.9

$119 Ft 38.4K

-32.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 $1,167

$830 Ft 268.3K

40.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 $1,057

$622 Ft 200.9K

69.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,119 $2,119

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

32.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 $1,579

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

34.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,739 $2,739

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-53.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,177 $2,177

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-44.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,172 $4,172

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

152.68%

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 Galveston, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galveston, TX

$1.1K 47.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 41.1% $435

Eating Out

Galveston, TX

$355 16%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 37.2% $132

Groceries & Markets

Galveston, TX

$322 14.5%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 20% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galveston, TX

$261 11.8%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 16.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Galveston, TX

$105 4.8%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 59% $62

Getting Around

Galveston, TX

$60 2.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 25.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Galveston, TX

$57 2.6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 50.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,167 in Galveston, TX 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 153% higher in Galveston, TX, 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 $77.0 in Galveston, TX versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Galveston, TX

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

07:25 7:25 AM

7 h ahead of Galveston, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,695

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Galveston, TX Budapest 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Galveston, TX
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

Galveston, TX vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Galveston, TX is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,326 per month in Galveston, TX 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 $746 per month in Galveston, TX 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 Galveston, TX at $2,217. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Galveston, TX 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, Galveston, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.