Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Key West, FL and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $4,808 in Key West, FL, rent and utilities included – about $38,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

233

Cost of Living Index in Key West, FL
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Key West, FL Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Key West, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$4,808

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,808 per month in Key West, FL vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Key West, FL $4,808
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $7,043 per month in Key West, FL vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Key West, FL $7,043
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $9,278 per month in Key West, FL vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Key West, FL $9,278
Budapest $3,429

Key West, FL costs about 197% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Key West, FL and Budapest sit above the global median – Key West, FL by 256%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.31 $22.31

$13.94 Ft 4,503

60.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.3 $98.3

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

60.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 $11.87

$10.19 Ft 3,291

16.49%

Cappuccino

$4.56 $4.56

$3.26 Ft 1,055

39.88%

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

$2.26 $2.26

$2.14 Ft 690

5.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.78 Ft 577

6.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.71 Ft 1,198

57.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 $6.84

$3.77 Ft 1,217

81.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.15 Ft 371

-13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.79 Ft 578

105.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.49 Ft 804

170.68%

Eggs

$5.16 $5.16

$3.90 Ft 1,261

32.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 $11.61

$11.10 Ft 3,587

4.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.34 $13.34

$6.62 Ft 2,139

101.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.97 $23.97

$14.69 Ft 4,745

63.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$1.83 Ft 591

162.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.05 Ft 661

-9.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.37 Ft 765

54.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$3.90 Ft 1,260

32.56%

Potato (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$0.99 Ft 320

498.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.00 Ft 322

233.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.58 Ft 511

127.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$0.67 Ft 216

295.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.18 $8.18

$7.96 Ft 2,572

2.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.18 $14.18

$6.22 Ft 2,009

127.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.27 Ft 411

56.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.03 Ft 654

17.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.52 Ft 490

161.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.31 Ft 1,070

17.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.37 Ft 442

127.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.20 $30.20

$19.83 Ft 6,406

52.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.82 Ft 589

-50.00%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

22.44%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-23.57%

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

$215 $215

$171 Ft 55.3K

25.72%

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

$54.4 $54.4

$23.51 Ft 7,596

131.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.3 $73.3

$23.29 Ft 7,526

214.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.6 $79.6

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

17.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$14.05 $14.05

$9.30 Ft 3,004

51.08%

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

$1,090 $1,090

$533 Ft 172.3K

104.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K $20.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

23.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.58 $47.58

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-52.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.78 $41.78

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-3.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 $71.7

$110 Ft 35.7K

-34.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.1 $69.1

$119 Ft 38.4K

-41.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,436 $3,436

$830 Ft 268.3K

313.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,432 $3,432

$622 Ft 200.9K

451.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,122 $7,122

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

346.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,144 $6,144

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

424.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,644 $9,644

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

65.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,886 $9,886

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

154.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,967 $5,967

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

261.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

6.45

-1.09%

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

Last update for Key West, FL: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Key West, FL

$3.4K 71.4%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 81.9% $2.8K

Groceries & Markets

Key West, FL

$457 9.5%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 43.6% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Key West, FL

$343 7.1%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 36.4% $125

Eating Out

Key West, FL

$328 6.8%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 32.1% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Key West, FL

$108 2.2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 20% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Key West, FL

$104 2.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 61.8% $64

Getting Around

Key West, FL

$35 * 0.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 24.9% $8.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,436 in Key West, FL 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 261% higher in Key West, FL, 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 $98.0 in Key West, FL versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $457 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Key West, FL

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:38 9:38 AM

15:38 3:38 PM

6 h ahead of Key West, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,684

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Key West, FL Budapest 8,780 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Key West, FL
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

Key West, FL vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Key West, FL is pricier by about 197%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,211 per month in Key West, FL 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98.0 in Key West, FL 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 77% more in Key West, FL, 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 $1,619, than in Key West, FL at $4,808. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Key West, FL 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, Key West, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.