Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rock Island, IL and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,664 in Rock Island, IL, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Rock Island, IL
Learn more

Rock Island, IL Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Rock Island, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,664

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,664 per month in Rock Island, IL vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Rock Island, IL $2,664
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $3,843 per month in Rock Island, IL vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Rock Island, IL $3,843
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $5,023 per month in Rock Island, IL vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Rock Island, IL $5,023
Budapest $3,483

Rock Island, IL costs about 62% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rock Island, IL and Budapest sit above the global median – Rock Island, IL by 97%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.07 $20.07

$14.04 Ft 4,536

42.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 $67.2

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

10.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.84 $12.84

$10.37 Ft 3,351

23.82%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$3.46 Ft 1,117

70.52%

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

$3.14 $3.14

$2.07 Ft 669

51.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.77 Ft 572

35.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$3.69 Ft 1,191

91.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 $7.97

$3.80 Ft 1,229

109.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.16 Ft 374

-18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.85 Ft 598

89.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.40 Ft 776

76.25%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-7.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$11.40 Ft 3,683

32.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.15 $13.15

$6.87 Ft 2,221

91.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.09 $20.09

$14.49 Ft 4,682

38.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.88 Ft 607

151.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.14 Ft 693

-23.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.30 Ft 744

123.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$4.04 Ft 1,304

18.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.02 Ft 329

174.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$0.99 Ft 320

216.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.58 Ft 510

36.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.70 Ft 225

245.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.72 $10.72

$8.03 Ft 2,594

33.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.51 $15.51

$6.18 Ft 1,997

150.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.24 Ft 401

114.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.06 Ft 666

111.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.59 Ft 513

14.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 $3.96

$3.43 Ft 1,110

15.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.33 Ft 431

49.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.24 $44.24

$20.45 Ft 6,607

116.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.93 Ft 624

-48.19%

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

$31.2K $31.2K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

7.01%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-26.19%

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

$267 $267

$175 Ft 56.4K

52.89%

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

$52.3 $52.3

$23.62 Ft 7,631

121.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.6 $80.6

$23.60 Ft 7,625

241.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 $45.16

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-34.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$15.12 $15.12

$10.31 Ft 3,333

46.65%

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

$1,719 $1,719

$535 Ft 172.9K

221.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

41.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 $64.5

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-35.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

17.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$112 Ft 36.1K

-3.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$119 Ft 38.4K

0.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 $1,812

$832 Ft 268.8K

117.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 $1,239

$629 Ft 203.3K

96.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,614 $2,614

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

64.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 $2,021

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

68.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,912 $2,912

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-49.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 $2,284

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-42.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

6.45

3.72%

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

Last update for Rock Island, IL: October 17, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rock Island, IL

$1.2K 46.5%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 49.2% $609

Groceries & Markets

Rock Island, IL

$431 16.2%

Budapest

$262 16% 39.3% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rock Island, IL

$400 15%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 44.5% $178

Eating Out

Rock Island, IL

$343 12.9%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 34.1% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Rock Island, IL

$154 5.8%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 9.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Rock Island, IL

$75 2.8%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 18.7% $14

Getting Around

Rock Island, IL

$21 * 0.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 108% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,812 in Rock Island, IL 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 $67.0 in Rock Island, IL versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $431 vs $262 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rock Island, IL

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

23:11 11:11 PM

7 h ahead of Rock Island, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,108

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rock Island, IL Budapest 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rock Island, IL
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

Rock Island, IL vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rock Island, IL is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,995 per month in Rock Island, IL 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 $67.0 in Rock Island, IL 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 65% more in Rock Island, IL, 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 Rock Island, IL at $2,664. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rock Island, IL 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, Rock Island, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.