Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima, OH and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,594 in Lima, OH, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Lima, OH
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Lima, OH Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Lima, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,594

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,594 per month in Lima, OH vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Lima, OH $2,594
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $3,690 per month in Lima, OH vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Lima, OH $3,690
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $4,785 per month in Lima, OH vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Lima, OH $4,785
Budapest $3,483

Lima, OH costs about 58% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lima, OH and Budapest sit above the global median – Lima, OH by 91%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 $22.30

$14.04 Ft 4,536

58.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.3 $77.3

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

26.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$10.37 Ft 3,351

17.36%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$3.46 Ft 1,117

59.83%

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

$2.55 $2.55

$2.07 Ft 669

23.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.77 Ft 572

14.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$3.69 Ft 1,191

62.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$3.80 Ft 1,229

83.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.55 $0.55

$1.16 Ft 374

-52.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.85 Ft 598

71.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$2.40 Ft 776

123.33%

Eggs

$3.02 $3.02

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-24.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.76 $8.76

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-23.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.63 $14.63

$6.87 Ft 2,221

112.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.92 $15.92

$14.49 Ft 4,682

9.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.88 Ft 607

130.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.14 Ft 693

-47.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.30 Ft 744

96.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$4.04 Ft 1,304

8.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.02 Ft 329

121.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.99 Ft 320

124.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.58 Ft 510

23.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.70 Ft 225

190.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.99 $9.99

$8.03 Ft 2,594

24.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.61 $16.61

$6.18 Ft 1,997

168.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.24 Ft 401

74.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.06 Ft 666

-0.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.59 Ft 513

23.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.37 $42.37

$27.52 Ft 8,893

53.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-13.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.33 Ft 431

-6.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.59 $26.59

$20.45 Ft 6,607

30.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.93 Ft 624

-55.96%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

5.45%

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

$23.7K $23.7K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-31.74%

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

$225 $225

$175 Ft 56.4K

29.03%

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

$67.9 $67.9

$23.62 Ft 7,631

187.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$23.60 Ft 7,625

183.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.23 $42.23

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-38.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.94 $47.94

$19.26 Ft 6,224

148.91%

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 $13.05

$10.31 Ft 3,333

26.58%

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

$1,615 $1,615

$535 Ft 172.9K

201.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.3K $34.3K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

103.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-49.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.69 $40.69

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-5.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 $82.6

$112 Ft 36.1K

-26.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$119 Ft 38.4K

-7.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 $1,278

$832 Ft 268.8K

53.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 $1,257

$629 Ft 203.3K

99.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,211 $2,211

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

39.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,826 $1,826

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

52.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,393 $1,393

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-75.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,402 $1,402

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-64.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,089 $5,089

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

197.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

6.45

2.95%

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

Last update for Lima, OH: October 17, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima, OH

$1.3K 48.5%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 49.9% $628

Groceries & Markets

Lima, OH

$378 14.6%

Budapest

$262 16% 30.7% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima, OH

$360 13.9%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 38.4% $138

Eating Out

Lima, OH

$343 13.2%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 34.1% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Lima, OH

$128 4.9%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 31.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Lima, OH

$68 2.6%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 30.9% $21

Getting Around

Lima, OH

$59 2.3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 25.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,278 in Lima, OH 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 197% higher in Lima, OH, 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 $77.0 in Lima, OH versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $262 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lima, OH

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

09:33 9:33 AM

6 h ahead of Lima, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,868

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

Lima, OH Budapest 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima, OH
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

Lima, OH vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lima, OH is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,891 per month in Lima, OH 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.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,615 per month in Lima, OH and $535 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 $1,641, than in Lima, OH at $2,594. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima, OH 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, Lima, OH makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.