Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Provo, UT and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,265 in Provo, UT, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Provo, UT
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Provo, UT Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Provo, UT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,265

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,265 per month in Provo, UT vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Provo, UT $2,265
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,353 per month in Provo, UT vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Provo, UT $3,353
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,442 per month in Provo, UT vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Provo, UT $4,442
Budapest $3,429

Provo, UT costs about 40% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Provo, UT and Budapest sit above the global median – Provo, UT by 68%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 $19.09

$13.94 Ft 4,517

36.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 $81.4

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

32.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 $10.18

$10.19 Ft 3,302

-0.10%

Cappuccino

$5.27 $5.27

$3.26 Ft 1,058

61.66%

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

$1.97 $1.97

$2.14 Ft 693

-7.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.78 Ft 578

1.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.71 Ft 1,202

35.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$3.77 Ft 1,221

109.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.15 Ft 372

-14.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.79 Ft 579

85.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.49 Ft 806

29.32%

Eggs

$3.97 $3.97

$3.90 Ft 1,265

1.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 $8.22

$11.10 Ft 3,599

-25.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$6.62 Ft 2,146

-15.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.04 $11.04

$14.69 Ft 4,761

-24.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.83 Ft 593

127.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$2.05 Ft 663

-29.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.37 Ft 768

16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.90 Ft 1,264

-26.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$0.99 Ft 321

211.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.00 Ft 323

95.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.58 Ft 513

12.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.67 Ft 217

307.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.29 $10.29

$7.96 Ft 2,580

29.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.32 $16.32

$6.22 Ft 2,015

162.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.27 Ft 412

129.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.03 Ft 657

50.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.52 Ft 492

100.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.0 $85.0

$28.02 Ft 9,082

203.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.31 Ft 1,073

3.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.04 $13.04

$19.83 Ft 6,427

-34.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.82 Ft 590

-43.96%

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

$33.0K $33.0K

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

10.68%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-23.86%

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

$129 $129

$171 Ft 55.5K

-24.66%

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

$44.50 $44.50

$23.51 Ft 7,620

89.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$23.29 Ft 7,550

166.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.08 $22.08

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

-67.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.26 $20.26

$18.89 Ft 6,124

7.25%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 $11.20

$9.30 Ft 3,013

20.43%

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

$920 $920

$533 Ft 172.9K

72.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.72 $47.72

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

-52.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

26.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 $65.4

$110 Ft 35.8K

-40.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 $78.4

$119 Ft 38.6K

-34.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 $1,388

$830 Ft 269.2K

67.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 $1,152

$622 Ft 201.6K

85.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,862 $1,862

$1,594 Ft 516.5K

16.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 $1,870

$1,170 Ft 379.3K

59.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,395 $2,395

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-58.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,385 $2,385

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-38.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,571 $3,571

$1,651 Ft 535.2K

116.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.19

6.45

11.47%

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

Last update for Provo, UT: 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

Provo, UT

$1.2K 50.9%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 46% $530

Groceries & Markets

Provo, UT

$319 14.1%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 19% $61

Eating Out

Provo, UT

$303 13.4%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 26.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Provo, UT

$236 10.4%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 7.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Provo, UT

$111 4.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 51% $57

Getting Around

Provo, UT

$101 * 4.4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 56% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Provo, UT

$44 2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 93.6% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,388 in Provo, UT 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.

Salaries run about 116% higher in Provo, UT, 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 $81.0 in Provo, UT versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $319 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Provo, UT

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

12:39 12:39 PM

8 h ahead of Provo, UT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,162

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 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 16, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

HUF to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Provo, UT Budapest 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Provo, UT
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

Provo, UT vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Provo, UT is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,397 per month in Provo, UT 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.

Public transport costs about 203% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $920 per month in Provo, UT and $533 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 $1,619, than in Provo, UT at $2,265. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Provo, UT 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, Provo, UT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.