Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waco, TX and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,414 in Waco, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Waco, TX
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Waco, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Waco, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,414

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,414 per month in Waco, TX vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Waco, TX $2,414
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $3,069 per month in Waco, TX vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Waco, TX $3,069
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,724 per month in Waco, TX vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Waco, TX $3,724
Budapest $3,429

Waco, TX costs about 49% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Waco, TX and Budapest sit above the global median – Waco, TX by 79%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 $15.16

$13.94 Ft 4,535

8.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 $60.6

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

-1.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$10.19 Ft 3,315

18.45%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$3.26 Ft 1,062

73.31%

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

$1.74 $1.74

$2.14 Ft 695

-18.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.78 Ft 581

-17.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.71 Ft 1,207

31.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 $5.55

$3.77 Ft 1,226

47.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.15 Ft 373

-30.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.79 Ft 582

84.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.49 Ft 809

-16.06%

Eggs

$2.77 $2.77

$3.90 Ft 1,270

-28.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.83 $11.83

$11.10 Ft 3,613

6.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 $9.37

$6.62 Ft 2,154

41.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 $11.95

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-18.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 $3.70

$1.83 Ft 596

102.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$2.05 Ft 666

-43.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.37 Ft 771

62.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 $3.53

$3.90 Ft 1,269

-9.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$0.99 Ft 323

131.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.00 Ft 324

196.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.58 Ft 515

12.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.67 Ft 217

47.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.60 $8.60

$7.96 Ft 2,591

8.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.97 $13.97

$6.22 Ft 2,023

124.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.27 Ft 414

33.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.03 Ft 659

87.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.52 Ft 494

0.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.25 $39.25

$28.02 Ft 9,118

40.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.93 $9.93

$3.31 Ft 1,077

200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.37 Ft 445

33.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.0 $59.0

$19.83 Ft 6,452

197.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.82 Ft 593

-50.55%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

23.09%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-25.92%

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

$182 $182

$171 Ft 55.7K

6.18%

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

$39.37 $39.37

$23.51 Ft 7,651

67.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.1 $55.1

$23.29 Ft 7,580

136.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.59 $27.59

$67.5 Ft 22.0K

-59.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,149

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 $8.73

$9.30 Ft 3,025

-6.13%

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

$744 $744

$533 Ft 173.6K

39.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K $17.9K

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

6.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.68 $46.68

$99.6 Ft 32.4K

-53.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.08 $38.08

$43.49 Ft 14.2K

-12.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 $85.0

$110 Ft 35.9K

-23.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.7 $96.7

$119 Ft 38.7K

-18.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,251 $1,251

$830 Ft 270.3K

50.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 $1,322

$622 Ft 202.4K

112.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,593 $1,593

$1,594 Ft 518.6K

-0.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 $1,350

$1,170 Ft 380.8K

15.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,948 $1,948

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-66.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,962 $1,962

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-49.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,176 $3,176

$1,651 Ft 537.3K

92.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

6.45

0.62%

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

Last update for Waco, TX: 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

Waco, TX

$1.3K 54.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 52.9% $700

Groceries & Markets

Waco, TX

$313 13%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 17.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waco, TX

$276 11.4%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 21.1% $58

Eating Out

Waco, TX

$274 11.3%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 18.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Waco, TX

$120 5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 39.8% $48

Getting Around

Waco, TX

$64 2.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 31.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Waco, TX

$45 1.9%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 91.2% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,251 in Waco, TX 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 92% higher in Waco, TX, 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 $61.0 in Waco, TX versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $313 in Waco, TX vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waco, TX

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

16:05 4:05 PM

7 h ahead of Waco, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,486

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 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 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

HUF to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Waco, TX Budapest 9,170 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Waco, TX
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

Waco, TX vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Waco, TX is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,621 per month in Waco, TX 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 40% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $744 per month in Waco, TX 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 Waco, TX at $2,414. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waco, TX 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, Waco, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.