Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, NY and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $3,100 in Kingston, NY, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

150

Cost of Living Index in Kingston, NY
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Kingston, NY Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Kingston, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,100

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,100 per month in Kingston, NY vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Kingston, NY $3,100
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $4,485 per month in Kingston, NY vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Kingston, NY $4,485
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $5,870 per month in Kingston, NY vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Kingston, NY $5,870
Budapest $3,429

Kingston, NY costs about 92% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kingston, NY and Budapest sit above the global median – Kingston, NY by 130%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.12 $25.12

$13.94 Ft 4,503

80.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 $81.4

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

32.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.77 $14.77

$10.19 Ft 3,291

44.95%

Cappuccino

$6.46 $6.46

$3.26 Ft 1,055

98.16%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$2.14 Ft 690

21.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.78 Ft 577

31.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.71 Ft 1,198

113.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.79 $8.79

$3.77 Ft 1,217

133.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.15 Ft 371

-10.43%

White Bread (500g)

$4.58 $4.58

$1.79 Ft 578

155.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$2.49 Ft 804

179.12%

Eggs

$4.64 $4.64

$3.90 Ft 1,261

18.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.21 $16.21

$11.10 Ft 3,587

46.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.94 $10.94

$6.62 Ft 2,139

65.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.24 $17.24

$14.69 Ft 4,745

17.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$1.83 Ft 591

160.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$2.05 Ft 661

-39.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.37 Ft 765

100.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.91 $6.91

$3.90 Ft 1,260

77.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$0.99 Ft 320

277.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.00 Ft 322

226.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.58 Ft 511

61.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.67 Ft 216

186.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.04 $17.04

$7.96 Ft 2,572

114.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 $14.96

$6.22 Ft 2,009

140.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.27 Ft 411

48.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.03 Ft 654

73.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.52 Ft 490

25.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.8 $65.8

$28.02 Ft 9,053

134.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-8.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.37 Ft 442

24.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.00 $29.00

$19.83 Ft 6,406

46.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.82 Ft 589

-51.10%

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

$31.1K $31.1K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

4.36%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-25.65%

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

$197 $197

$171 Ft 55.3K

15.39%

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

$65.7 $65.7

$23.51 Ft 7,596

179.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.5 $78.5

$23.29 Ft 7,526

237.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 $42.34

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-37.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.1 $61.1

$18.89 Ft 6,104

223.29%

Cinema Ticket

$15.05 $15.05

$9.30 Ft 3,004

61.83%

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

$2,501 $2,501

$533 Ft 172.3K

368.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

41.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-48.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.41 $29.41

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-32.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 $81.8

$110 Ft 35.7K

-25.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 $76.8

$119 Ft 38.4K

-35.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 $1,860

$830 Ft 268.3K

123.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,654 $1,654

$622 Ft 200.9K

165.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,318 $3,318

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

108.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,622 $2,622

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

124.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,107 $3,107

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-46.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,097 $3,097

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-20.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,085 $3,085

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

86.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

6.45

3.57%

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

Last update for Kingston, NY: 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

Kingston, NY

$1.7K 53.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 62.4% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Kingston, NY

$440 14.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 41.4% $182

Eating Out

Kingston, NY

$400 12.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 44.2% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston, NY

$342 11%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 36.2% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston, NY

$108 3.5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 55.9% $60

Getting Around

Kingston, NY

$85 2.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 47.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston, NY

$72 2.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 18.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,860 in Kingston, NY 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 87% higher in Kingston, NY, 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 $81.0 in Kingston, NY versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $440 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kingston, NY

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

23:33 11:33 PM

6 h ahead of Kingston, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,436

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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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

Kingston, NY Budapest 6,920 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston, NY
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

Kingston, NY vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kingston, NY is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,650 per month in Kingston, NY 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 135% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,501 per month in Kingston, NY 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 Kingston, NY at $3,100. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston, NY 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, Kingston, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.