Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Cloud, MN and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $1,891 in Saint Cloud, MN, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Saint Cloud, MN
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Saint Cloud, MN Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Saint Cloud, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,891

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,891 per month in Saint Cloud, MN vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Saint Cloud, MN $1,891
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,697 per month in Saint Cloud, MN vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Saint Cloud, MN $2,697
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,502 per month in Saint Cloud, MN vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Saint Cloud, MN $3,502
Budapest $3,429

Saint Cloud, MN costs about 17% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Saint Cloud, MN and Budapest sit above the global median – Saint Cloud, MN by 40%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.94 $14.94

$13.94 Ft 4,503

7.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.42 $40.42

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-33.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.45 $8.45

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-17.08%

Cappuccino

$4.61 $4.61

$3.26 Ft 1,055

41.41%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$2.14 Ft 690

34.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.78 Ft 577

21.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$3.71 Ft 1,198

61.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.77 Ft 1,217

35.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.15 Ft 371

-21.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.79 Ft 578

-17.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.49 Ft 804

-23.69%

Eggs

$3.79 $3.79

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-2.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 $9.60

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-13.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 $6.66

$6.62 Ft 2,139

0.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$14.69 Ft 4,745

28.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.83 Ft 591

102.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.05 Ft 661

-46.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.37 Ft 765

17.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-10.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.99 Ft 320

107.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.00 Ft 322

194.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.58 Ft 511

22.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$0.67 Ft 216

341.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.21 $11.21

$7.96 Ft 2,572

40.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$6.22 Ft 2,009

136.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.27 Ft 411

33.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.03 Ft 654

49.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.52 Ft 490

11.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.2 $61.2

$28.02 Ft 9,053

118.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.31 Ft 1,070

3.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.37 Ft 442

-42.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.76 $11.76

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-40.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.82 Ft 589

-51.10%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

0.72%

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

$23.7K $23.7K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-29.93%

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

$122 $122

$171 Ft 55.3K

-28.78%

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

$45.73 $45.73

$23.51 Ft 7,596

94.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.69 $44.69

$23.29 Ft 7,526

91.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.96 $24.96

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-63.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.73 $27.73

$18.89 Ft 6,104

46.80%

Cinema Ticket

$11.80 $11.80

$9.30 Ft 3,004

26.88%

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

$1,721 $1,721

$533 Ft 172.3K

222.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,918 $5,918

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-64.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 $56.5

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-43.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 $50.3

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

15.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 $72.6

$110 Ft 35.7K

-34.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 $80.3

$119 Ft 38.4K

-32.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 $913

$830 Ft 268.3K

9.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$859 $859

$622 Ft 200.9K

38.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 $1,409

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-11.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 $1,255

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

7.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,038 $2,038

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-65.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,772 $1,772

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-54.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,949 $3,949

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

139.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

6.45

2.48%

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

Last update for Saint Cloud, MN: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Cloud, MN

$859 45.4%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 27.6% $237

Groceries & Markets

Saint Cloud, MN

$318 16.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 19% $60

Eating Out

Saint Cloud, MN

$261 13.8%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 14.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Cloud, MN

$212 11.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 2.7% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Cloud, MN

$117 6.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 43.5% $51

Getting Around

Saint Cloud, MN

$75 4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 41.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Cloud, MN

$49 2.6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 77.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $913 in Saint Cloud, MN 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 139% higher in Saint Cloud, MN, 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 $40.00 in Saint Cloud, MN versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $318 in Saint Cloud, MN vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Cloud, MN

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

19:04 7:04 PM

7 h ahead of Saint Cloud, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,109

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 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 Cloud, MN Budapest 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Cloud, MN
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 Cloud, MN vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint Cloud, MN is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,836 per month in Saint Cloud, MN 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 118% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,721 per month in Saint Cloud, MN 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 Saint Cloud, MN at $1,891. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Cloud, MN 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 Cloud, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.