Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Garland, TX and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,590 in Garland, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

127

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

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Garland, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,590

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,590 per month in Garland, TX vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Garland, TX $2,590
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,751 per month in Garland, TX vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Garland, TX $3,751
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $4,912 per month in Garland, TX vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Garland, TX $4,912
Budapest $3,489

Garland, TX costs about 60% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Garland, TX and Budapest sit above the global median – Garland, TX by 93%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 $19.79

$13.99 Ft 4,551

41.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.4 $54.4

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-9.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 $10.02

$9.96 Ft 3,241

0.60%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$3.38 Ft 1,100

68.05%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$2.13 Ft 692

23.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.87 Ft 608

24.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 $5.53

$3.75 Ft 1,221

47.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 $7.40

$3.57 Ft 1,162

107.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.13 Ft 368

-18.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.84 Ft 599

106.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$2.39 Ft 777

122.59%

Eggs

$4.53 $4.53

$3.83 Ft 1,245

18.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.87 $7.87

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-30.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.68 $11.68

$6.74 Ft 2,192

73.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 $19.34

$14.69 Ft 4,780

31.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$1.84 Ft 597

188.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.01 Ft 653

-38.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$2.36 Ft 767

121.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$3.77 Ft 1,226

16.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$0.96 Ft 313

115.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.03 Ft 334

101.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.56 Ft 509

36.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.66 Ft 216

119.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 $9.64

$7.96 Ft 2,591

21.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 $10.90

$6.01 Ft 1,954

81.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.30 Ft 421

55.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.08 Ft 676

56.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.50 Ft 489

96.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 $96.7

$27.61 Ft 8,982

250.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-9.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.30 Ft 424

32.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.18 $24.18

$19.78 Ft 6,436

22.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.81 Ft 591

-46.41%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

24.23%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-23.69%

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

$202 $202

$170 Ft 55.3K

19.15%

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

$54.2 $54.2

$23.98 Ft 7,802

125.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.7 $80.7

$23.42 Ft 7,621

244.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.85 $39.85

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-39.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.24 $16.24

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-15.33%

Cinema Ticket

$15.13 $15.13

$9.52 Ft 3,098

58.93%

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

$1,341 $1,341

$537 Ft 174.6K

149.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.6K $28.6K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

72.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 $60.2

$101 Ft 33.0K

-40.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.52 $29.52

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-31.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 $84.7

$113 Ft 36.7K

-24.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$119 Ft 38.6K

1.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,518 $1,518

$805 Ft 262.0K

88.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 $1,276

$629 Ft 204.7K

102.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,344 $2,344

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

51.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 $2,077

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

77.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,256 $3,256

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-42.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,953 $1,953

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-50.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,710 $3,710

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

128.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

6.43

2.95%

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

Last update for Garland, TX: October 6, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Garland, TX

$1.3K 48.5%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 50.7% $647

Groceries & Markets

Garland, TX

$378 14.4%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 31.9% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Garland, TX

$337 12.8%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 35.6% $120

Eating Out

Garland, TX

$319 12.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 29.7% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Garland, TX

$133 5%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 27.6% $37

Getting Around

Garland, TX

$120 4.6%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 63.8% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Garland, TX

$70 2.7%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 21.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,518 in Garland, TX 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 128% higher in Garland, 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 $54.0 in Garland, TX versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $378 in Garland, TX vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Garland, TX

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

04:02 4:02 AM

7 h ahead of Garland, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,035

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

Garland, TX Budapest 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Garland, 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

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

Yes – Garland, TX is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,885 per month in Garland, TX 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 250% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,341 per month in Garland, TX 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 Garland, TX at $2,590. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Garland, 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, Garland, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.