Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Island, NY and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $3,867 in Long Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Long Island, NY
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Long Island, NY Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Long Island, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,867

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,867 per month in Long Island, NY vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Long Island, NY $3,867
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $5,541 per month in Long Island, NY vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Long Island, NY $5,541
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $7,215 per month in Long Island, NY vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Long Island, NY $7,215
Budapest $3,429

Long Island, NY costs about 139% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Long Island, NY and Budapest sit above the global median – Long Island, NY by 186%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.36 $25.36

$13.94 Ft 4,503

81.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

65.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 $10.94

$10.19 Ft 3,291

7.36%

Cappuccino

$5.07 $5.07

$3.26 Ft 1,055

55.52%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$2.14 Ft 690

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.78 Ft 577

-10.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.71 Ft 1,198

117.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$3.77 Ft 1,217

108.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.15 Ft 371

10.43%

White Bread (500g)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.79 Ft 578

136.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.49 Ft 804

-23.29%

Eggs

$5.07 $5.07

$3.90 Ft 1,261

30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.14 $7.14

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-35.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.65 $11.65

$6.62 Ft 2,139

75.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.63 $16.63

$14.69 Ft 4,745

13.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$1.83 Ft 591

124.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$2.05 Ft 661

-38.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.37 Ft 765

-9.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.06 $6.06

$3.90 Ft 1,260

55.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.99 Ft 320

9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.00 Ft 322

125.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.58 Ft 511

-6.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$0.67 Ft 216

322.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.27 $11.27

$7.96 Ft 2,572

41.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.38 $17.38

$6.22 Ft 2,009

179.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.27 Ft 411

33.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.03 Ft 654

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.52 Ft 490

81.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$131 $131

$28.02 Ft 9,053

366.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-7.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.37 Ft 442

51.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.16 $24.16

$19.83 Ft 6,406

21.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.82 Ft 589

-38.46%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

23.09%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-24.70%

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

$190 $190

$171 Ft 55.3K

11.30%

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

$48.53 $48.53

$23.51 Ft 7,596

106.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 $54.4

$23.29 Ft 7,526

133.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.55 $31.55

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-53.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$102 $102

$18.89 Ft 6,104

440.97%

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 $14.23

$9.30 Ft 3,004

53.01%

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

$2,219 $2,219

$533 Ft 172.3K

316.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

43.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.01 $40.01

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-59.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 $56.5

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

29.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 $75.7

$110 Ft 35.7K

-31.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 $158

$119 Ft 38.4K

32.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,715 $2,715

$830 Ft 268.3K

226.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 $2,463

$622 Ft 200.9K

296.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,300 $5,300

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

232.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,883 $3,883

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

231.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,360 $4,360

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-25.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,364 $4,364

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

12.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,983 $4,983

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

201.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

6.45

2.79%

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

Last update for Long Island, 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

Long Island, NY

$2.5K 63.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 74.8% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Long Island, NY

$378 9.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 31.8% $120

Eating Out

Long Island, NY

$368 9.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 39.3% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Island, NY

$293 7.6%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 25.7% $75

Getting Around

Long Island, NY

$155 4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 71.5% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Long Island, NY

$149 3.8%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 12.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Long Island, NY

$60 1.6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 43.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,715 in Long Island, 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 202% higher in Long Island, 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 $101 in Long Island, NY versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Island, NY

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

00:09 12:09 AM

6 h ahead of Long Island, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,804,968

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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Long Island, NY Budapest 6,940 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Long Island, 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

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

Yes – Long Island, NY is pricier by about 139%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,800 per month in Long Island, 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 367% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,219 per month in Long Island, 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 Long Island, NY at $3,867. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Long Island, 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, Long Island, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.