Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medford, MA and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $3,154 in Medford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

151

Cost of Living Index in Medford, MA
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Medford, MA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Medford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,154

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,154 per month in Medford, MA vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Medford, MA $3,154
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $4,274 per month in Medford, MA vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Medford, MA $4,274
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $5,393 per month in Medford, MA vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Medford, MA $5,393
Budapest $3,483

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

Both Medford, MA and Budapest sit above the global median – Medford, MA by 133%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.19 $18.19

$14.04 Ft 4,536

29.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.1 $96.1

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

57.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.11 $12.11

$10.37 Ft 3,351

16.78%

Cappuccino

$5.43 $5.43

$3.46 Ft 1,117

56.94%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$2.07 Ft 669

39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.77 Ft 572

38.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 $7.97

$3.69 Ft 1,191

115.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.22 $9.22

$3.80 Ft 1,229

142.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.16 Ft 374

-6.90%

White Bread (500g)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.85 Ft 598

118.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.40 Ft 776

127.08%

Eggs

$4.83 $4.83

$3.99 Ft 1,289

21.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 $11.23

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-1.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.22 $14.22

$6.87 Ft 2,221

106.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.78 $17.78

$14.49 Ft 4,682

22.71%

Apples (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$1.88 Ft 607

248.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.14 Ft 693

-19.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$2.30 Ft 744

144.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$4.04 Ft 1,304

34.65%

Potato (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$1.02 Ft 329

341.18%

Onion (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$0.99 Ft 320

307.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.58 Ft 510

82.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$0.70 Ft 225

322.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.37 $13.37

$8.03 Ft 2,594

66.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 $13.66

$6.18 Ft 1,997

121.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.24 Ft 401

66.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.06 Ft 666

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.59 Ft 513

55.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 $88.6

$27.52 Ft 8,893

222.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-23.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.33 Ft 431

33.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.34 $28.34

$20.45 Ft 6,607

38.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.93 Ft 624

-46.63%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-6.14%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-25.01%

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

$239 $239

$175 Ft 56.4K

36.89%

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

$56.3 $56.3

$23.62 Ft 7,631

138.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.5 $84.5

$23.60 Ft 7,625

257.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.19 $45.19

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-34.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.31 Ft 3,333

38.51%

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

$1,818 $1,818

$535 Ft 172.9K

239.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.4K $29.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

74.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 $57.7

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-42.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.35 $38.35

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-11.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 $81.3

$112 Ft 36.1K

-27.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$119 Ft 38.4K

-15.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,606 $1,606

$832 Ft 268.8K

93.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,682 $1,682

$629 Ft 203.3K

167.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 $2,543

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

60.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,123 $2,123

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

77.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,666 $2,666

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-53.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 $2,577

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-34.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

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 Medford, MA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medford, MA

$1.7K 53.3%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 62.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Medford, MA

$458 14.5%

Budapest

$262 16% 42.8% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medford, MA

$380 12%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 41.6% $158

Eating Out

Medford, MA

$327 10.4%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 30.7% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Medford, MA

$125 4%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 34.6% $43

Getting Around

Medford, MA

$110 3.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 60% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Medford, MA

$74 2.3%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 21.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,606 in Medford, MA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Medford, MA versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $458 vs $262 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Medford, MA

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

15:14 3:14 PM

6 h ahead of Medford, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,173

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Medford, MA Budapest 6,700 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Medford, MA
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

Medford, MA vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,732 per month in Medford, MA 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 222% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,818 per month in Medford, MA 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 Medford, MA at $3,154. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medford, MA 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, Medford, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.