Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wilkes-Barre, PA and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,641 a month against $2,190 in Wilkes-Barre, PA, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Wilkes-Barre, PA
Learn more

Wilkes-Barre, PA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Wilkes-Barre, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,190

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,190 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Wilkes-Barre, PA $2,190
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $3,358 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Wilkes-Barre, PA $3,358
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $4,526 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Wilkes-Barre, PA $4,526
Budapest $3,483

Wilkes-Barre, PA costs about 33% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Wilkes-Barre, PA and Budapest sit above the global median – Wilkes-Barre, PA by 62%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.15 $18.15

$14.04 Ft 4,536

29.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 $49.37

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-18.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 $10.40

$10.37 Ft 3,351

0.29%

Cappuccino

$3.91 $3.91

$3.46 Ft 1,117

13.01%

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

$0.99 $0.99

$2.07 Ft 669

-52.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.77 Ft 572

12.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 $6.85

$3.69 Ft 1,191

85.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.31 $7.31

$3.80 Ft 1,229

92.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.16 Ft 374

-22.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.85 Ft 598

75.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.40 Ft 776

82.50%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$3.99 Ft 1,289

0.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 $10.82

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-5.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.33 $13.33

$6.87 Ft 2,221

94.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.75 $17.75

$14.49 Ft 4,682

22.50%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 $6.42

$1.88 Ft 607

241.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.14 Ft 693

-35.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.30 Ft 744

134.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$4.04 Ft 1,304

68.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.02 Ft 329

184.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$0.99 Ft 320

280.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.58 Ft 510

87.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$0.70 Ft 225

291.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.11 $15.11

$8.03 Ft 2,594

88.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$6.18 Ft 1,997

139.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.24 Ft 401

146.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.06 Ft 666

128.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.59 Ft 513

-7.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 $3.83

$3.43 Ft 1,110

11.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.33 Ft 431

64.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.91 $29.91

$20.45 Ft 6,607

46.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.93 Ft 624

-43.01%

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

$30.9K $30.9K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

6.20%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-22.69%

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

$238 $238

$175 Ft 56.4K

36.33%

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

$57.5 $57.5

$23.62 Ft 7,631

143.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.2 $74.2

$23.60 Ft 7,625

214.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.49 $49.49

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-28.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$14.75 $14.75

$10.31 Ft 3,333

43.06%

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

$1,732 $1,732

$535 Ft 172.9K

223.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

4.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 $54.5

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-45.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.05 $48.05

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

11.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 $96.1

$112 Ft 36.1K

-13.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$119 Ft 38.4K

4.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 $1,253

$832 Ft 268.8K

50.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 $852

$629 Ft 203.3K

35.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 $1,736

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

9.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 $1,752

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

46.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,296 $4,296

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

150.93%

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 Wilkes-Barre, PA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$852 38.9%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 26.2% $223

Groceries & Markets

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$439 20%

Budapest

$262 16% 40.3% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$370 16.9%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 40% $148

Eating Out

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$284 13%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 20.3% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$145 6.6%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 15.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$79 3.6%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 13.3% $10

Getting Around

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$21 * 0.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 113% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,253 in Wilkes-Barre, PA versus $832 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 151% higher in Wilkes-Barre, 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 $49.00 in Wilkes-Barre, PA versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $439 in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $262 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wilkes-Barre, PA

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

23:17 11:17 PM

6 h ahead of Wilkes-Barre, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,288

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wilkes-Barre, PA Budapest 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Wilkes-Barre, 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

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

Yes – Wilkes-Barre, PA is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,285 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA and $2,461 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Wilkes-Barre, PA and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Wilkes-Barre, PA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Wilkes-Barre, PA at $2,190. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wilkes-Barre, 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, Wilkes-Barre, PA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.