Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tempe, AZ and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,880 in Tempe, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

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

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Tempe, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,880

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,880 per month in Tempe, AZ vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Tempe, AZ $2,880
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,836 per month in Tempe, AZ vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Tempe, AZ $3,836
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $4,792 per month in Tempe, AZ vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Tempe, AZ $4,792
Budapest $3,429

Tempe, AZ costs about 78% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tempe, AZ and Budapest sit above the global median – Tempe, AZ by 113%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.77 $19.77

$13.94 Ft 4,503

41.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 $81.6

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

33.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 $13.17

$10.19 Ft 3,291

29.24%

Cappuccino

$5.25 $5.25

$3.26 Ft 1,055

61.04%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$2.14 Ft 690

44.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.78 Ft 577

37.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.01 $6.01

$3.71 Ft 1,198

61.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$3.77 Ft 1,217

90.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.15 Ft 371

-15.65%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.79 Ft 578

134.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.19 $6.19

$2.49 Ft 804

148.59%

Eggs

$4.68 $4.68

$3.90 Ft 1,261

20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 $13.65

$11.10 Ft 3,587

22.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.44 $13.44

$6.62 Ft 2,139

103.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$14.69 Ft 4,745

18.31%

Apples (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$1.83 Ft 591

192.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.05 Ft 661

-3.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.37 Ft 765

73.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$3.90 Ft 1,260

27.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$0.99 Ft 320

155.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.00 Ft 322

199.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.58 Ft 511

40.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.67 Ft 216

238.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.89 $10.89

$7.96 Ft 2,572

36.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.65 $13.65

$6.22 Ft 2,009

119.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.27 Ft 411

89.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.03 Ft 654

55.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.52 Ft 490

27.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 $64.4

$28.02 Ft 9,053

129.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-14.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.37 Ft 442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.42 $35.42

$19.83 Ft 6,406

78.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.82 Ft 589

-35.71%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

23.29%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-23.78%

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

$240 $240

$171 Ft 55.3K

40.48%

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

$61.4 $61.4

$23.51 Ft 7,596

161.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.0 $78.0

$23.29 Ft 7,526

234.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 $30.16

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-55.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.16 $15.16

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-19.75%

Cinema Ticket

$13.80 $13.80

$9.30 Ft 3,004

48.39%

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

$1,107 $1,107

$533 Ft 172.3K

107.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K $15.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-8.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 $62.6

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-37.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.61 $44.61

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

2.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 $98.4

$110 Ft 35.7K

-10.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$119 Ft 38.4K

-5.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,894 $1,894

$830 Ft 268.3K

128.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 $1,460

$622 Ft 200.9K

134.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 $2,543

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

59.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 $1,683

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

43.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,960 $3,960

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

139.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

6.45

0.78%

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

Last update for Tempe, AZ: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tempe, AZ

$1.5K 50.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 57.4% $838

Groceries & Markets

Tempe, AZ

$431 15%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 40.1% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tempe, AZ

$380 13.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 42.6% $162

Eating Out

Tempe, AZ

$327 11.4%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 31.8% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Tempe, AZ

$143 5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 17% $24

Getting Around

Tempe, AZ

$82 2.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 45.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Tempe, AZ

$58 2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 49.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,894 in Tempe, AZ 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 140% higher in Tempe, AZ, 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 $82.0 in Tempe, AZ versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $431 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tempe, AZ

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

20:00 8:00 PM

9 h ahead of Tempe, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

161,719

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 = 0.889 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

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

From you

Tempe, 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

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

Yes – Tempe, AZ is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,320 per month in Tempe, AZ 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 130% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,107 per month in Tempe, AZ 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 Tempe, AZ at $2,880. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tempe, AZ 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, Tempe, AZ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.