Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,368 in Iowa City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
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Iowa City, IA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,368

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,368 per month in Iowa City, IA vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Iowa City, IA $2,368
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,367 per month in Iowa City, IA vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Iowa City, IA $3,367
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,366 per month in Iowa City, IA vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Iowa City, IA $4,366
Budapest $3,429

Iowa City, IA costs about 46% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Iowa City, IA and Budapest sit above the global median – Iowa City, IA by 75%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.24 $14.24

$13.94 Ft 4,503

2.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 $68.1

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

11.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 $8.74

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-14.23%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$3.26 Ft 1,055

77.30%

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

$2.76 $2.76

$2.14 Ft 690

28.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.78 Ft 577

21.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.71 Ft 1,198

32.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$3.77 Ft 1,217

80.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.15 Ft 371

-27.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.79 Ft 578

54.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.49 Ft 804

-18.88%

Eggs

$3.60 $3.60

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-7.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 $9.51

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-14.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 $10.32

$6.62 Ft 2,139

55.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.56 $20.56

$14.69 Ft 4,745

39.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.83 Ft 591

81.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$2.05 Ft 661

-40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.37 Ft 765

16.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.90 Ft 1,260

24.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.99 Ft 320

105.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.00 Ft 322

137.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.58 Ft 511

7.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.67 Ft 216

262.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.79 $8.79

$7.96 Ft 2,572

10.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.27 $13.27

$6.22 Ft 2,009

113.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.27 Ft 411

39.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.03 Ft 654

112.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.96 $15.96

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-43.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.31 Ft 1,070

19.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.37 Ft 442

45.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.23 $43.23

$19.83 Ft 6,406

118.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.82 Ft 589

-45.05%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

20.96%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-25.35%

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

$266 $266

$171 Ft 55.3K

55.19%

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

$53.3 $53.3

$23.51 Ft 7,596

126.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.9 $81.9

$23.29 Ft 7,526

251.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.68 $48.68

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-27.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.82 $19.82

$18.89 Ft 6,104

4.92%

Cinema Ticket

$13.74 $13.74

$9.30 Ft 3,004

47.74%

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

$1,285 $1,285

$533 Ft 172.3K

140.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

41.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-35.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 $50.1

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

15.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$110 Ft 35.7K

-8.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$119 Ft 38.4K

-5.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 $1,179

$830 Ft 268.3K

41.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 $1,096

$622 Ft 200.9K

76.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,297 $2,297

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

44.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 $1,671

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

42.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,825 $3,825

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-34.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,963 $1,963

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-49.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,701 $3,701

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

124.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

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

Last update for Iowa City, IA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iowa City, IA

$1.1K 46.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 43.3% $474

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iowa City, IA

$401 16.9%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 45.6% $183

Groceries & Markets

Iowa City, IA

$350 14.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 26.4% $92

Eating Out

Iowa City, IA

$267 11.3%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 16.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Iowa City, IA

$148 6.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 13.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Iowa City, IA

$76 3.2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 13.1% $10

Getting Around

Iowa City, IA

$30 * 1.3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 48.1% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Iowa City, IA 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 124% higher in Iowa City, IA, 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 $68.0 in Iowa City, IA versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

13:50 1:50 PM

20:50 8:50 PM

7 h ahead of Iowa City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,828

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

Iowa City, IA Budapest 7,980 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Iowa City, IA
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

Iowa City, IA vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Iowa City, IA is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,552 per month in Iowa City, IA 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 76% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,285 per month in Iowa City, IA 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 Iowa City, IA at $2,368. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Iowa City, IA 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, Iowa City, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.