Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Bedford, MA and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,753 in New Bedford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in New Bedford, MA
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New Bedford, MA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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New Bedford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,753

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,753 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

New Bedford, MA $2,753
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $3,820 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

New Bedford, MA $3,820
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $4,887 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

New Bedford, MA $4,887
Budapest $3,483

New Bedford, MA costs about 68% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New Bedford, MA and Budapest sit above the global median – New Bedford, MA by 103%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.68 $19.68

$14.04 Ft 4,536

40.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-2.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.95 $5.95

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-42.62%

Cappuccino

$4.11 $4.11

$3.46 Ft 1,117

18.79%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$2.07 Ft 669

11.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.77 Ft 572

-30.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.69 Ft 1,191

63.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.80 Ft 1,229

7.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.16 Ft 374

-12.93%

White Bread (500g)

$4.58 $4.58

$1.85 Ft 598

147.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$16.26 $16.26

$2.40 Ft 776

577.50%

Eggs

$6.42 $6.42

$3.99 Ft 1,289

60.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 $10.57

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-7.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.74 $10.74

$6.87 Ft 2,221

56.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 $19.16

$14.49 Ft 4,682

32.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$1.88 Ft 607

186.17%

Banana (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.14 Ft 693

108.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.30 Ft 744

46.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-25.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.02 Ft 329

117.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$0.99 Ft 320

143.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.58 Ft 510

74.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$0.70 Ft 225

311.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.07 $13.07

$8.03 Ft 2,594

62.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.85 $16.85

$6.18 Ft 1,997

172.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.24 Ft 401

54.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.06 Ft 666

37.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.43 Ft 1,110

78.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.33 Ft 431

65.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.93 Ft 624

-43.52%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-3.30%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-23.46%

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

$181 $181

$175 Ft 56.4K

3.80%

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

$36.85 $36.85

$23.62 Ft 7,631

56.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 $58.6

$23.60 Ft 7,625

148.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 $28.95

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-57.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$12.43 $12.43

$10.31 Ft 3,333

20.56%

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

$2,133 $2,133

$535 Ft 172.9K

298.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.67 $38.67

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-61.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.01 $16.01

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-63.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 $99.5

$112 Ft 36.1K

-10.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,869 $1,869

$832 Ft 268.8K

124.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 $1,581

$629 Ft 203.3K

151.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,615 $2,615

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

64.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,341 $2,341

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

95.63%

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)

$4,641 $4,641

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

171.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.42

6.45

-15.97%

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

Last update for New Bedford, 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

New Bedford, MA

$1.6K 57.5%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 60.2% $952

Groceries & Markets

New Bedford, MA

$478 17.4%

Budapest

$262 16% 45.2% $216

Eating Out

New Bedford, MA

$277 10.1%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 18.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Bedford, MA

$277 10.1%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 19.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

New Bedford, MA

$69 * 2.5%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 143% $99

Sport & Entertainment

New Bedford, MA

$54 2%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 66.3% $36

Getting Around

New Bedford, MA

$17 * 0.6%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 157% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,869 in New Bedford, 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.

Salaries run about 171% higher in New Bedford, MA, 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 $59.0 in New Bedford, MA versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $478 in New Bedford, MA vs $262 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Bedford, MA

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

01:57 1:57 AM

07:57 7:57 AM

6 h ahead of New Bedford, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,538

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

New Bedford, MA Budapest 6,740 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

New Bedford, 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

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

Yes – New Bedford, MA is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,130 per month in New Bedford, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in New Bedford, MA and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 83% more in New Bedford, MA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in New Bedford, MA at $2,753. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Bedford, 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, New Bedford, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.