Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scranton, PA and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,109 in Scranton, PA, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Scranton, PA
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Scranton, PA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Scranton, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,109

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,109 per month in Scranton, PA vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Scranton, PA $2,109
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,000 per month in Scranton, PA vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Scranton, PA $3,000
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,891 per month in Scranton, PA vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Scranton, PA $3,891
Budapest $3,429

Scranton, PA costs about 30% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Scranton, PA and Budapest sit above the global median – Scranton, PA by 56%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.08 $12.08

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-13.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 $77.1

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

25.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 $5.96

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-41.51%

Cappuccino

$4.48 $4.48

$3.26 Ft 1,055

37.42%

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

$1.53 $1.53

$2.14 Ft 690

-28.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.78 Ft 577

-44.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 $6.93

$3.71 Ft 1,198

86.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.66 $7.66

$3.77 Ft 1,217

103.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.15 Ft 371

-36.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.79 Ft 578

-18.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.49 Ft 804

-10.84%

Eggs

$3.34 $3.34

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-14.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$11.10 Ft 3,587

0.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 $8.81

$6.62 Ft 2,139

33.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.18 $11.18

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-23.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.83 Ft 591

97.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.05 Ft 661

-36.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.37 Ft 765

40.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$3.90 Ft 1,260

9.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$0.99 Ft 320

192.93%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.00 Ft 322

232.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.58 Ft 511

22.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.67 Ft 216

50.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 $6.59

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-17.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.19 $12.19

$6.22 Ft 2,009

95.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.27 Ft 411

139.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.03 Ft 654

135.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.52 Ft 490

13.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.1 $61.1

$28.02 Ft 9,053

118.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 $3.16

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-4.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.37 Ft 442

45.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.03 $25.03

$19.83 Ft 6,406

26.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.82 Ft 589

-39.01%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

18.60%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-23.99%

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

$232 $232

$171 Ft 55.3K

35.50%

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

$40.27 $40.27

$23.51 Ft 7,596

71.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.27 $49.27

$23.29 Ft 7,526

111.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.52 $29.52

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-56.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.03 $16.03

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-15.14%

Cinema Ticket

$12.53 $12.53

$9.30 Ft 3,004

34.73%

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

$770 $770

$533 Ft 172.3K

44.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K $17.6K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

5.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.23 $45.23

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-54.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.25 $30.25

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-30.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 $72.9

$110 Ft 35.7K

-33.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 $82.9

$119 Ft 38.4K

-30.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$830 Ft 268.3K

52.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 $1,019

$622 Ft 200.9K

63.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 $1,554

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-2.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,481 $1,481

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

26.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,594 $1,594

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-72.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 $1,538

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-60.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,361 $3,361

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

103.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

6.45

3.41%

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

Last update for Scranton, PA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scranton, PA

$1K 48.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 39% $397

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scranton, PA

$321 15.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 32.2% $103

Groceries & Markets

Scranton, PA

$300 14.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 14% $42

Eating Out

Scranton, PA

$228 10.8%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 2.4% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Scranton, PA

$104 4.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 61% $64

Getting Around

Scranton, PA

$81 3.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 45.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Scranton, PA

$55 2.6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 57.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,269 in Scranton, PA 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 104% higher in Scranton, PA, 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 $77.0 in Scranton, PA versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Scranton, PA

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

00:00 12:00 AM

6 h ahead of Scranton, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,861

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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 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 →

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Between locations

Scranton, PA Budapest 7,060 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Scranton, PA
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

Scranton, PA vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Scranton, PA is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,163 per month in Scranton, PA 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 $770 per month in Scranton, PA 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 Scranton, PA at $2,109. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Scranton, PA 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, Scranton, PA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.