Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surprise, AZ and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Surprise, AZ: $1,305 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Surprise, AZ
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Surprise, AZ Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Surprise, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$1,305

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,305 per month in Surprise, AZ vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Surprise, AZ $1,305
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,606 per month in Surprise, AZ vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Surprise, AZ $3,606
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,906 per month in Surprise, AZ vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Surprise, AZ $5,906
Budapest $3,489

Surprise, AZ is about 19% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Surprise, AZ sits 3% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$13.99 Ft 4,554

44.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 $84.2

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

39.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.84 $12.84

$9.96 Ft 3,244

28.92%

Cappuccino

$6.01 $6.01

$3.38 Ft 1,101

77.81%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$2.13 Ft 693

24.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.87 Ft 609

31.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.20 $7.20

$3.75 Ft 1,222

92.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$3.57 Ft 1,163

127.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.13 Ft 369

-11.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.84 Ft 599

91.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$2.39 Ft 777

117.15%

Eggs

$4.73 $4.73

$3.83 Ft 1,246

23.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$11.33 Ft 3,688

18.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.30 $11.30

$6.74 Ft 2,193

67.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.80 $14.80

$14.69 Ft 4,783

0.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.84 Ft 598

150.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.01 Ft 654

-3.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.36 Ft 767

64.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$3.77 Ft 1,227

11.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.96 Ft 314

165.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.03 Ft 335

179.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.56 Ft 509

36.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.66 Ft 216

228.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.66 $10.66

$7.96 Ft 2,593

33.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 $13.77

$6.01 Ft 1,955

129.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.30 Ft 422

93.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.08 Ft 677

53.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,989

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-15.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.30 Ft 424

7.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$19.78 Ft 6,441

78.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.81 Ft 591

-37.57%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

25.24%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-25.82%

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

$197 $197

$170 Ft 55.3K

15.91%

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

$62.6 $62.6

$23.98 Ft 7,808

161.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.8 $73.8

$23.42 Ft 7,627

214.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 $60.8

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-8.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,244

Cinema Ticket

$13.16 $13.16

$9.52 Ft 3,101

38.24%

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

$1,090 $1,090

$537 Ft 174.8K

103.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K $15.6K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-6.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 $56.0

$101 Ft 33.0K

-44.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

2.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 $99.9

$113 Ft 36.7K

-11.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$119 Ft 38.7K

-2.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 $2,116

$1,549 Ft 504.5K

36.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,030 $3,030

$1,167 Ft 380.0K

159.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,591 $1,591

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-59.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,222 $4,222

$1,626 Ft 529.4K

159.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

6.43

0.16%

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

Last update for Surprise, AZ: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surprise, AZ

$392 29.9%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 34.2% $134

Eating Out

Surprise, AZ

$345 26.4%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 35.1% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surprise, AZ

$333 25.5%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 34.8% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Surprise, AZ

$142 10.8%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 19.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Surprise, AZ

$87 6.7%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 2.1% $1.8

Getting Around

Surprise, AZ

$9.8 * 0.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 342% $34

Accommodation & Living

Surprise, AZ

- * 0%

Budapest

$629 38.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 160% higher in Surprise, AZ, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Surprise, AZ versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Surprise, AZ

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

11:45 11:45 AM

9 h ahead of Surprise, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,148

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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 326 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

Surprise, AZ Budapest 9,780 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Surprise, AZ
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

Surprise, AZ vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,958 per month in Surprise, AZ and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Surprise, AZ and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 52% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surprise, AZ, where all-in costs run around $1,305, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Surprise, AZ it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surprise, AZ – 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 Surprise, AZ. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.