Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pittsfield, MA and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,602 in Pittsfield, MA, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Pittsfield, MA
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Pittsfield, MA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Pittsfield, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,602

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,602 per month in Pittsfield, MA vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Pittsfield, MA $2,602
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $4,547 per month in Pittsfield, MA vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Pittsfield, MA $4,547
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $6,492 per month in Pittsfield, MA vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Pittsfield, MA $6,492
Budapest $3,429

Pittsfield, MA costs about 61% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Pittsfield, MA and Budapest sit above the global median – Pittsfield, MA by 93%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.92 $17.92

$13.94 Ft 4,503

28.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.5 $94.5

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

54.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 $13.58

$10.19 Ft 3,291

33.27%

Cappuccino

$5.12 $5.12

$3.26 Ft 1,055

57.06%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$2.14 Ft 690

31.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.78 Ft 577

58.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 $4.99

$3.71 Ft 1,198

34.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.77 Ft 1,217

113.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.15 Ft 371

-6.09%

White Bread (500g)

$4.13 $4.13

$1.79 Ft 578

130.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.49 Ft 804

119.68%

Eggs

$4.75 $4.75

$3.90 Ft 1,261

21.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 $11.10

$11.10 Ft 3,587

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.18 $14.18

$6.62 Ft 2,139

114.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 $17.64

$14.69 Ft 4,745

20.08%

Apples (1kg)

$6.54 $6.54

$1.83 Ft 591

257.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.05 Ft 661

-16.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.71 $6.71

$2.37 Ft 765

183.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$3.90 Ft 1,260

40.51%

Potato (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$0.99 Ft 320

557.58%

Onion (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.00 Ft 322

348.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.58 Ft 511

93.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.62 $13.62

$7.96 Ft 2,572

71.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 $13.39

$6.22 Ft 2,009

115.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.27 Ft 411

65.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.03 Ft 654

102.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.82 Ft 589

-41.21%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

22.14%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-23.83%

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

$278 $278

$171 Ft 55.3K

62.69%

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

$40.53 $40.53

$23.51 Ft 7,596

72.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.5 $83.5

$23.29 Ft 7,526

258.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.49 $39.49

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-41.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 $14.67

$9.30 Ft 3,004

57.74%

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

$1,836 $1,836

$533 Ft 172.3K

244.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K $30.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

81.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 $56.2

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-43.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.18 $38.18

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-12.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 $79.5

$110 Ft 35.7K

-28.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$119 Ft 38.4K

-14.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 $1,596

$830 Ft 268.3K

92.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 $1,265

$622 Ft 200.9K

103.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,590 $4,590

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

188.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,530 $3,530

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

201.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,989 $2,989

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-48.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,955 $2,955

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-24.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

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 Pittsfield, MA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pittsfield, MA

$1.3K 48.6%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 50.8% $643

Groceries & Markets

Pittsfield, MA

$433 * 16.7%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 40.5% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pittsfield, MA

$402 15.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 45.8% $184

Eating Out

Pittsfield, MA

$309 11.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 27.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Pittsfield, MA

$124 4.8%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 35.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Pittsfield, MA

$69 2.6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 25.1% $17

Getting Around

Pittsfield, MA

- * 0%

Budapest

$44 2.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,596 in Pittsfield, MA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94.0 in Pittsfield, MA versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $433 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Pittsfield, MA

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

16:40 4:40 PM

6 h ahead of Pittsfield, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,927

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 = 0.889 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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Between locations

Pittsfield, MA Budapest 6,840 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Pittsfield, 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

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

Yes – Pittsfield, MA is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,904 per month in Pittsfield, MA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94.0 in Pittsfield, 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 68% more in Pittsfield, 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 $1,619, than in Pittsfield, MA at $2,602. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pittsfield, 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, Pittsfield, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.