Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Charles, IL and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,710 in Saint Charles, IL, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Saint Charles, IL
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Saint Charles, IL Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Saint Charles, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,710

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,710 per month in Saint Charles, IL vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Saint Charles, IL $2,710
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $4,230 per month in Saint Charles, IL vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Saint Charles, IL $4,230
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $5,749 per month in Saint Charles, IL vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Saint Charles, IL $5,749
Budapest $3,483

Saint Charles, IL costs about 65% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saint Charles, IL and Budapest sit above the global median – Saint Charles, IL by 100%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$38.02 $38.02

$14.04 Ft 4,536

170.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 $99.6

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

63.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 $10.63

$10.37 Ft 3,351

2.51%

Cappuccino

$6.85 $6.85

$3.46 Ft 1,117

97.98%

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

$3.37 $3.37

$2.07 Ft 669

62.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.77 Ft 572

73.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 $7.03

$3.69 Ft 1,191

90.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.54 $7.54

$3.80 Ft 1,229

98.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.16 Ft 374

-15.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.85 Ft 598

91.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.40 Ft 776

76.25%

Eggs

$4.57 $4.57

$3.99 Ft 1,289

14.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 $12.33

$11.40 Ft 3,683

8.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

$6.87 Ft 2,221

66.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.85 $12.85

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-11.32%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$1.88 Ft 607

170.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.14 Ft 693

-52.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.30 Ft 744

88.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$4.04 Ft 1,304

18.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.02 Ft 329

169.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$0.99 Ft 320

207.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.58 Ft 510

-0.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.70 Ft 225

218.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.41 $11.41

$8.03 Ft 2,594

42.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$6.18 Ft 1,997

144.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.24 Ft 401

55.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.06 Ft 666

67.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.59 Ft 513

27.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 $3.24

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-5.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.33 Ft 431

23.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.52 $32.52

$20.45 Ft 6,607

59.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.93 Ft 624

-48.70%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-10.78%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-24.93%

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

$195 $195

$175 Ft 56.4K

11.93%

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

$66.6 $66.6

$23.62 Ft 7,631

182.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.9 $70.9

$23.60 Ft 7,625

200.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.09 $43.09

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-37.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$10.31 Ft 3,333

42.97%

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

$1,358 $1,358

$535 Ft 172.9K

153.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K $26.2K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

55.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 $51.1

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-48.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 $39.30

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-9.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 $75.7

$112 Ft 36.1K

-32.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$119 Ft 38.4K

10.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 $1,800

$832 Ft 268.8K

116.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 $1,277

$629 Ft 203.3K

102.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 $2,543

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

60.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,472 $2,472

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

106.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,065 $3,065

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-46.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,620 $2,620

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-33.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

6.45

1.86%

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

Last update for Saint Charles, IL: October 19, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Charles, IL

$1.3K 47.1%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 50.7% $648

Eating Out

Saint Charles, IL

$494 18.2%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 54.2% $268

Groceries & Markets

Saint Charles, IL

$380 14%

Budapest

$262 16% 31.2% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Charles, IL

$333 12.3%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 33.4% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Charles, IL

$134 4.9%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 25.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Charles, IL

$73 2.7%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 23.3% $17

Getting Around

Saint Charles, IL

$20 * 0.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 126% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,800 in Saint Charles, 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 $100 in Saint Charles, IL versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $262 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Charles, IL

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

18:57 6:57 PM

7 h ahead of Saint Charles, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,329

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

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Between locations

Saint Charles, IL Budapest 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Charles, 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

Saint Charles, IL vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint Charles, IL is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,065 per month in Saint Charles, 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 $100 in Saint Charles, 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 45% more in Saint Charles, 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 Saint Charles, IL at $2,710. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Charles, 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, Saint Charles, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.