Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hays, KS and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $1,737 in Hays, KS, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Hays, KS
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Hays, KS Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Hays, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,737

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,737 per month in Hays, KS vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Hays, KS $1,737
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $2,467 per month in Hays, KS vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Hays, KS $2,467
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $3,198 per month in Hays, KS vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Hays, KS $3,198
Budapest $3,483

Hays, KS costs about 6% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hays, KS and Budapest sit above the global median – Hays, KS by 28%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 $13.33

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-5.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.87 $43.87

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-28.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 $8.11

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-21.79%

Cappuccino

$3.98 $3.98

$3.46 Ft 1,117

15.03%

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

$2.39 $2.39

$2.07 Ft 669

15.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.77 Ft 572

-42.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.69 Ft 1,191

4.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.80 Ft 1,229

13.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.16 Ft 374

-34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.85 Ft 598

22.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.40 Ft 776

85.83%

Eggs

$2.06 $2.06

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-48.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-60.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 $8.93

$6.87 Ft 2,221

29.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.33 $13.33

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-8.01%

Apples (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$1.88 Ft 607

221.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$2.14 Ft 693

-23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.30 Ft 744

120.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$4.04 Ft 1,304

9.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.02 Ft 329

187.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.99 Ft 320

119.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.58 Ft 510

24.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.70 Ft 225

190.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.68 $9.68

$8.03 Ft 2,594

20.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 $12.15

$6.18 Ft 1,997

96.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.24 Ft 401

79.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.06 Ft 666

86.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.59 Ft 513

26.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-29.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.33 Ft 431

18.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.71 $39.71

$20.45 Ft 6,607

94.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.93 Ft 624

-52.33%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-3.65%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-25.27%

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

$269 $269

$175 Ft 56.4K

53.89%

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

$34.85 $34.85

$23.62 Ft 7,631

47.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$23.60 Ft 7,625

191.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.17 $45.17

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-34.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 $15.21

$10.31 Ft 3,333

47.53%

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

$922 $922

$535 Ft 172.9K

72.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K $15.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-6.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.68 $23.68

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-76.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.82 $31.82

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-26.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$112 Ft 36.1K

-1.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$119 Ft 38.4K

15.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$793 $793

$832 Ft 268.8K

-4.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 $589

$629 Ft 203.3K

-6.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 $1,034

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-34.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 $895

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-25.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,386 $2,386

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-58.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,615 $2,615

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-33.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,386 $2,386

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

39.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

6.45

3.10%

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

Last update for Hays, KS: 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

Hays, KS

$589 33.9%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 6.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hays, KS

$372 21.4%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 40.4% $151

Groceries & Markets

Hays, KS

$325 18.7%

Budapest

$262 16% 19.5% $64

Eating Out

Hays, KS

$220 12.7%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 2.8% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Hays, KS

$136 7.9%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 23.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Hays, KS

$76 4.4%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 18.4% $14

Getting Around

Hays, KS

$18 * 1.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 140% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $793 in Hays, KS 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.

Salaries run about 39% higher in Hays, KS, 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 $44.00 in Hays, KS versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $325 in Hays, KS vs $262 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hays, KS

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:12 5:12 AM

12:12 12:12 PM

7 h ahead of Hays, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,726

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Hays, KS Budapest 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Hays, KS
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

Hays, KS vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hays, KS is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,605 per month in Hays, KS 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 $44.00 in Hays, KS 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 24% more in Hays, KS, 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 Hays, KS at $1,737. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hays, KS 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, Hays, KS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.