Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Paul, MN and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,438 in Saint Paul, MN, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

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

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Saint Paul, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,438

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,438 per month in Saint Paul, MN vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Saint Paul, MN $2,438
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,743 per month in Saint Paul, MN vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Saint Paul, MN $3,743
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,048 per month in Saint Paul, MN vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Saint Paul, MN $5,048
Budapest $3,489

Saint Paul, MN costs about 50% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Saint Paul, MN and Budapest sit above the global median – Saint Paul, MN by 82%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.75 $15.75

$13.99 Ft 4,551

12.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.6 $68.6

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

13.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$9.96 Ft 3,241

1.51%

Cappuccino

$5.26 $5.26

$3.38 Ft 1,100

55.62%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$2.13 Ft 692

39.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.87 Ft 608

43.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.75 Ft 1,221

63.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.65 $7.65

$3.57 Ft 1,162

114.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.13 Ft 368

-14.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.84 Ft 599

114.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.39 Ft 777

38.08%

Eggs

$3.06 $3.06

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-20.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-16.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.71 $9.71

$6.74 Ft 2,192

44.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 $13.16

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-10.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$1.84 Ft 597

166.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$2.01 Ft 653

-42.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$2.36 Ft 767

151.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.77 Ft 1,226

29.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$0.96 Ft 313

306.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$1.03 Ft 334

245.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.56 Ft 509

32.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.66 Ft 216

165.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.21 $12.21

$7.96 Ft 2,591

53.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.34 $14.34

$6.01 Ft 1,954

138.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.30 Ft 421

29.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.08 Ft 676

64.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.50 Ft 489

46.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 $122

$27.61 Ft 8,982

342.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-23.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.30 Ft 424

23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.97 $30.97

$19.78 Ft 6,436

56.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.81 Ft 591

-45.86%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

23.37%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-25.17%

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

$226 $226

$170 Ft 55.3K

32.81%

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

$51.4 $51.4

$23.98 Ft 7,802

114.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.9 $65.9

$23.42 Ft 7,621

181.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.79 $33.79

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-48.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.29 $8.29

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-56.78%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 $12.96

$9.52 Ft 3,098

36.13%

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

$1,499 $1,499

$537 Ft 174.6K

179.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K $28.1K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

69.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.97 $40.97

$101 Ft 33.0K

-59.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.24 $40.24

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-6.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 $79.5

$113 Ft 36.7K

-29.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$119 Ft 38.6K

-7.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 $1,355

$805 Ft 262.0K

68.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 $1,100

$629 Ft 204.7K

74.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 $2,529

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

63.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,265 $2,265

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

94.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,903 $2,903

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-48.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 $2,195

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-44.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,120 $4,120

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

153.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

6.43

-1.87%

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

Last update for Saint Paul, MN: 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

Saint Paul, MN

$1.1K 45.5%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 42.8% $471

Groceries & Markets

Saint Paul, MN

$363 15%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 29% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Paul, MN

$343 14.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 36.6% $126

Eating Out

Saint Paul, MN

$288 11.9%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 22.2% $64

Getting Around

Saint Paul, MN

$141 5.9%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 69.3% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Paul, MN

$122 5%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 39.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Paul, MN

$60 2.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 42.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,355 in Saint Paul, MN 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 153% higher in Saint Paul, 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 $69.0 in Saint Paul, MN versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Paul, MN

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:18 5:18 AM

12:18 12:18 PM

7 h ahead of Saint Paul, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,068

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

Saint Paul, MN Budapest 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Saint Paul, MN is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,657 per month in Saint Paul, MN 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 342% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,499 per month in Saint Paul, MN 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 Saint Paul, MN at $2,438. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Paul, 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 Paul, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.