Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madison, WI and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,994 in Madison, WI, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Madison, WI
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Madison, WI Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Madison, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,994

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,994 per month in Madison, WI vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Madison, WI $2,994
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $4,424 per month in Madison, WI vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Madison, WI $4,424
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,854 per month in Madison, WI vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Madison, WI $5,854
Budapest $3,489

Madison, WI costs about 85% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Madison, WI and Budapest sit above the global median – Madison, WI by 123%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$13.99 Ft 4,551

40.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 $68.0

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

12.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.07 $13.07

$9.96 Ft 3,241

31.22%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.38 Ft 1,100

66.57%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$2.13 Ft 692

48.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.87 Ft 608

35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$3.75 Ft 1,221

88.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 $8.23

$3.57 Ft 1,162

130.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.13 Ft 368

-13.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 $3.43

$1.84 Ft 599

86.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.39 Ft 777

72.80%

Eggs

$3.61 $3.61

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-5.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 $14.92

$11.33 Ft 3,686

31.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$6.74 Ft 2,192

97.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.06 $20.06

$14.69 Ft 4,780

36.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.84 Ft 597

158.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.01 Ft 653

-19.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$2.36 Ft 767

125.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.77 Ft 1,226

32.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$0.96 Ft 313

190.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.03 Ft 334

202.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.56 Ft 509

40.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.66 Ft 216

266.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.77 $10.77

$7.96 Ft 2,591

35.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.75 $15.75

$6.01 Ft 1,954

162.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.30 Ft 421

107.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.08 Ft 676

112.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.50 Ft 489

37.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 $65.5

$27.61 Ft 8,982

137.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.30 Ft 1,074

20.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.30 Ft 424

55.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.09 $43.09

$19.78 Ft 6,436

117.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.81 Ft 591

-44.20%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

22.74%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-24.87%

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

$269 $269

$170 Ft 55.3K

58.37%

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

$52.5 $52.5

$23.98 Ft 7,802

119.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.8 $83.8

$23.42 Ft 7,621

257.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 $58.4

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-11.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.54 $10.54

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-45.05%

Cinema Ticket

$15.27 $15.27

$9.52 Ft 3,098

60.40%

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

$1,705 $1,705

$537 Ft 174.6K

217.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

38.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 $63.0

$101 Ft 33.0K

-37.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 $50.0

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

16.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$113 Ft 36.7K

-4.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$119 Ft 38.6K

2.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 $1,789

$805 Ft 262.0K

122.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 $1,572

$629 Ft 204.7K

149.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,177 $3,177

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

105.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

119.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,524 $4,524

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-19.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 $2,489

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-37.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 $4,383

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

169.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

6.43

4.04%

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

Last update for Madison, WI: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madison, WI

$1.6K 51.1%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 60% $943

Groceries & Markets

Madison, WI

$432 14%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 40.4% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madison, WI

$405 13.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 46.4% $188

Eating Out

Madison, WI

$338 11%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 33.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Madison, WI

$154 5%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 9.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Madison, WI

$89 2.9%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 4.1% $3.7

Getting Around

Madison, WI

$88 2.9%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 50.5% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Madison, WI versus $805 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 170% higher in Madison, WI, 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 Madison, WI versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $432 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Madison, WI

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

07:46 7:46 AM

7 h ahead of Madison, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

248,951

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

HUF to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Madison, WI Budapest 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Madison, WI
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

Madison, WI vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Madison, WI is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,491 per month in Madison, WI and $2,432 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 137% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,705 per month in Madison, WI and $537 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 $1,621, than in Madison, WI at $2,994. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madison, WI 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, Madison, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.