Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between High Point, NC and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,198 in High Point, NC, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in High Point, NC
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High Point, NC Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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High Point, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,198

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,198 per month in High Point, NC vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

High Point, NC $2,198
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,170 per month in High Point, NC vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

High Point, NC $3,170
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,141 per month in High Point, NC vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

High Point, NC $4,141
Budapest $3,429

High Point, NC costs about 36% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both High Point, NC and Budapest sit above the global median – High Point, NC by 63%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.79 $17.79

$13.94 Ft 4,503

27.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 $80.0

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

30.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 $9.86

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-3.24%

Cappuccino

$5.36 $5.36

$3.26 Ft 1,055

64.42%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$2.14 Ft 690

23.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.78 Ft 577

11.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.71 Ft 1,198

31.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 $5.97

$3.77 Ft 1,217

58.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.15 Ft 371

-11.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.79 Ft 578

121.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.49 Ft 804

28.51%

Eggs

$4.29 $4.29

$3.90 Ft 1,261

10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.55 $16.55

$11.10 Ft 3,587

49.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.93 $13.93

$6.62 Ft 2,139

110.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.84 $17.84

$14.69 Ft 4,745

21.44%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.83 Ft 591

189.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$2.05 Ft 661

-29.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.37 Ft 765

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.90 Ft 1,260

15.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$0.99 Ft 320

282.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.00 Ft 322

227.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.58 Ft 511

30.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.67 Ft 216

253.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.19 $8.19

$7.96 Ft 2,572

2.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 $15.26

$6.22 Ft 2,009

145.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.27 Ft 411

32.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.03 Ft 654

85.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.52 Ft 490

68.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 $79.1

$28.02 Ft 9,053

182.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-8.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.37 Ft 442

32.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.08 $15.08

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-23.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.82 Ft 589

-43.41%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

21.08%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-25.27%

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

$176 $176

$171 Ft 55.3K

2.66%

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

$51.3 $51.3

$23.51 Ft 7,596

118.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.6 $73.6

$23.29 Ft 7,526

215.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$9.30 Ft 3,004

28.17%

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

$1,309 $1,309

$533 Ft 172.3K

145.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,982 $9,982

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-40.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.44 $38.44

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-61.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.39 $34.39

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-20.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 $86.1

$110 Ft 35.7K

-21.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$119 Ft 38.4K

-7.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 $1,171

$830 Ft 268.3K

41.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$930 $930

$622 Ft 200.9K

49.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 $1,451

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-8.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 $1,283

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

9.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,960 $1,960

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-66.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,954 $1,954

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-49.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,420 $4,420

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

167.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

6.45

0.47%

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

Last update for High Point, NC: 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

High Point, NC

$930 42.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 33.1% $308

Groceries & Markets

High Point, NC

$430 19.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 40.1% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

High Point, NC

$301 13.7%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 27.5% $83

Eating Out

High Point, NC

$291 13.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 23.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

High Point, NC

$121 5.5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 38.4% $46

Getting Around

High Point, NC

$101 4.6%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 56.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

High Point, NC

$24 * 1.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 261% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,171 in High Point, NC 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 168% higher in High Point, NC, 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 $80.0 in High Point, NC versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $430 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 High Point, NC

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

10:02 10:02 AM

6 h ahead of High Point, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,371

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

High Point, NC Budapest 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

High Point, NC
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

High Point, NC vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – High Point, NC is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,297 per month in High Point, NC 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 182% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,309 per month in High Point, NC 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 High Point, NC at $2,198. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in High Point, NC 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, High Point, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.