Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portland, OR and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,411 in Portland, OR, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

162

Cost of Living Index in Portland, OR
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Portland, OR Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Portland, OR

🇺🇸 United States

$3,411

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,411 per month in Portland, OR vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Portland, OR $3,411
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $5,103 per month in Portland, OR vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Portland, OR $5,103
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $6,795 per month in Portland, OR vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Portland, OR $6,795
Budapest $3,489

Portland, OR costs about 110% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Portland, OR and Budapest sit above the global median – Portland, OR by 155%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$13.99 Ft 4,551

78.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 $90.4

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

49.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.96 Ft 3,241

42.17%

Cappuccino

$6.23 $6.23

$3.38 Ft 1,100

84.32%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$2.13 Ft 692

19.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.87 Ft 608

5.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 $8.20

$3.75 Ft 1,221

118.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$3.57 Ft 1,162

124.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.13 Ft 368

6.19%

White Bread (500g)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.84 Ft 599

159.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.39 Ft 777

111.30%

Eggs

$5.40 $5.40

$3.83 Ft 1,245

40.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.21 $19.21

$11.33 Ft 3,686

69.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.74 $19.74

$6.74 Ft 2,192

192.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.09 $29.09

$14.69 Ft 4,780

98.03%

Apples (1kg)

$6.65 $6.65

$1.84 Ft 597

261.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.01 Ft 653

9.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$2.36 Ft 767

146.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$3.77 Ft 1,226

129.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$0.96 Ft 313

186.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.03 Ft 334

127.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.56 Ft 509

111.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.66 Ft 216

280.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.21 $11.21

$7.96 Ft 2,591

40.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$6.01 Ft 1,954

150.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.30 Ft 421

156.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 $5.46

$2.08 Ft 676

162.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.50 Ft 489

82.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.5 $98.5

$27.61 Ft 8,982

256.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 $5.13

$3.30 Ft 1,074

55.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.30 Ft 424

45.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.91 $23.91

$19.78 Ft 6,436

20.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.81 Ft 591

-27.62%

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

$33.0K $33.0K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

12.48%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-21.31%

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

$318 $318

$170 Ft 55.3K

86.97%

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

$63.5 $63.5

$23.98 Ft 7,802

164.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 $69.5

$23.42 Ft 7,621

196.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.2 $59.2

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-10.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.29 $31.29

$19.18 Ft 6,239

63.14%

Cinema Ticket

$15.28 $15.28

$9.52 Ft 3,098

60.50%

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

$1,685 $1,685

$537 Ft 174.6K

213.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K $24.4K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

47.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 $64.9

$101 Ft 33.0K

-35.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.02 $42.02

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-2.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$113 Ft 36.7K

1.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$119 Ft 38.6K

11.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,952 $1,952

$805 Ft 262.0K

142.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 $1,568

$629 Ft 204.7K

149.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,458 $3,458

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

123.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,773 $2,773

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

137.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,916 $3,916

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-30.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,387 $3,387

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-14.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,602 $4,602

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

183.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

6.43

1.24%

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

Last update for Portland, OR: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portland, OR

$1.6K 46.7%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 59.9% $939

Groceries & Markets

Portland, OR

$572 17.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 55% $315

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portland, OR

$451 13.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 51.8% $233

Eating Out

Portland, OR

$392 11.7%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 42.8% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Portland, OR

$159 4.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 6.3% $10

Getting Around

Portland, OR

$124 3.7%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 65% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Portland, OR

$90 2.7%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 5% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,952 in Portland, OR 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 183% higher in Portland, OR, 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 $90.0 in Portland, OR versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $572 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Portland, OR

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

01:35 1:35 AM

10:35 10:35 AM

9 h ahead of Portland, OR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

652,503

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Portland, OR Budapest 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Portland, OR
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

Portland, OR vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Portland, OR is pricier by about 110%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,116 per month in Portland, OR 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 257% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,685 per month in Portland, OR 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 Portland, OR at $3,411. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Portland, OR 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, Portland, OR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.