Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madona and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Madona: $1,128 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Madona
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Madona Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Madona

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,128

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,128 per month in Madona vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Madona $1,128
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,730 per month in Madona vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Madona $1,730
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $2,331 per month in Madona vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Madona $2,331
Budapest $3,483

Madona is about 31% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Madona sits 17% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 €15.00

$14.04 Ft 4,536

20.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.8 €59.4

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

9.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 €8.25

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-10.51%

Cappuccino

$3.75 €3.33

$3.46 Ft 1,117

8.38%

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

$1.57 €1.40

$2.07 Ft 669

-24.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.77 Ft 572

-32.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$3.69 Ft 1,191

51.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 €4.37

$3.80 Ft 1,229

29.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.16 Ft 374

3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.85 Ft 598

-20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.40 Ft 776

3.33%

Eggs

$3.60 €3.20

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-9.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.34 €9.20

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-9.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.48 €7.54

$6.87 Ft 2,221

23.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.57 €12.07

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-6.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.88 Ft 607

11.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$2.14 Ft 693

-17.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$2.30 Ft 744

8.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 €2.85

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-20.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.02 Ft 329

-19.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.99 Ft 320

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.58 Ft 510

10.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.70 Ft 225

24.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.85 €6.09

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-14.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 €6.79

$6.18 Ft 1,997

23.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.24 Ft 401

62.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.06 Ft 666

1.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 €3.05

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-0.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.33 Ft 431

-26.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.80 €15.83

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-12.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.93 Ft 624

7.77%

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

$26.9K €23.9K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-7.79%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-12.73%

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

$365 €325

$175 Ft 56.4K

109.11%

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

$19.58 €17.42

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-17.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 €17.76

$23.60 Ft 7,625

-15.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.19 €25.07

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-59.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$5.53 €4.92

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-46.36%

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

$668 €594

$535 Ft 172.9K

24.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K €15.9K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

6.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 €62.2

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-30.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 €45.37

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

17.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 €77.2

$112 Ft 36.1K

-22.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 €123

$119 Ft 38.4K

15.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

6.45

-26.05%

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

Last update for Madona: October 17, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madona

$405 35.9%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 45.2% $183

Groceries & Markets

Madona

$264 23.4%

Budapest

$262 16% 0.7% $1.8

Eating Out

Madona

$257 22.8%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 11.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Madona

$155 13.8%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 8.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Madona

$39 3.5%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 128% $50

Getting Around

Madona

$8.3 * 0.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 430% $36

Accommodation & Living

Madona

- * 0%

Budapest

$629 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Madona versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $262 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Madona

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

23:23 11:23 PM

22:23 10:23 PM

1 h behind Madona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,800

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Madona Budapest 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Madona
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

Madona vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,692 per month in Madona and $2,461 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Madona and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Madona, where all-in costs run around $1,128, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Madona it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Madona – 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 Madona. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.