Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wilmington, NC and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,773 in Wilmington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Wilmington, NC
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Wilmington, NC Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Wilmington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,773

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,773 per month in Wilmington, NC vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Wilmington, NC $2,773
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $4,103 per month in Wilmington, NC vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Wilmington, NC $4,103
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,433 per month in Wilmington, NC vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Wilmington, NC $5,433
Budapest $3,489

Wilmington, NC costs about 71% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Wilmington, NC and Budapest sit above the global median – Wilmington, NC by 107%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.12 $15.12

$13.99 Ft 4,551

8.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 $78.9

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

30.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 $11.20

$9.96 Ft 3,241

12.45%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$3.38 Ft 1,100

64.79%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$2.13 Ft 692

22.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.87 Ft 608

32.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.75 Ft 1,221

29.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 $7.03

$3.57 Ft 1,162

96.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.13 Ft 368

-13.27%

White Bread (500g)

$4.03 $4.03

$1.84 Ft 599

119.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.02 $6.02

$2.39 Ft 777

151.88%

Eggs

$5.11 $5.11

$3.83 Ft 1,245

33.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 $11.52

$11.33 Ft 3,686

1.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.78 $14.78

$6.74 Ft 2,192

119.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.91 $24.91

$14.69 Ft 4,780

69.57%

Apples (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$1.84 Ft 597

255.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.01 Ft 653

-10.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$2.36 Ft 767

194.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.15 $6.15

$3.77 Ft 1,226

63.13%

Potato (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$0.96 Ft 313

325.00%

Onion (1kg)

$6.09 $6.09

$1.03 Ft 334

491.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.56 Ft 509

48.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$0.66 Ft 216

375.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.07 $8.07

$7.96 Ft 2,591

1.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.60 $14.60

$6.01 Ft 1,954

142.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.30 Ft 421

56.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 $5.94

$2.08 Ft 676

185.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.50 Ft 489

70.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.4 $80.4

$27.61 Ft 8,982

191.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.04 $7.04

$3.30 Ft 1,074

113.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.30 Ft 424

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.81 Ft 591

-44.75%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

23.21%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-25.23%

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

$283 $283

$170 Ft 55.3K

66.56%

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

$56.3 $56.3

$23.98 Ft 7,802

134.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.6 $74.6

$23.42 Ft 7,621

218.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 $68.3

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

3.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.89 $3.89

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-79.72%

Cinema Ticket

$14.79 $14.79

$9.52 Ft 3,098

55.36%

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

$1,295 $1,295

$537 Ft 174.6K

141.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 $69.8

$101 Ft 33.0K

-31.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.04 $42.04

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-2.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$113 Ft 36.7K

-10.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 $71.0

$119 Ft 38.6K

-40.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 $1,553

$805 Ft 262.0K

92.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 $1,255

$629 Ft 204.7K

99.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,303 $2,303

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

48.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 $2,056

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

76.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,811 $2,811

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-49.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,688 $2,688

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-32.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,942 $3,942

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

142.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

6.43

2.18%

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

Last update for Wilmington, NC: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wilmington, NC

$1.3K 45.1%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 49.9% $626

Groceries & Markets

Wilmington, NC

$503 18.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 48.7% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wilmington, NC

$414 14.9%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 47.5% $197

Eating Out

Wilmington, NC

$280 10.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 19.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Wilmington, NC

$128 4.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 32.3% $41

Getting Around

Wilmington, NC

$107 3.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 59.3% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Wilmington, NC

$98 3.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 12.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,553 in Wilmington, NC versus $805 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 142% higher in Wilmington, NC, 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 $79.0 in Wilmington, NC versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $503 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wilmington, NC

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

12:22 12:22 PM

6 h ahead of Wilmington, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,826

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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

HUF to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Wilmington, NC Budapest 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Wilmington, NC
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

Wilmington, NC vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Wilmington, NC is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,159 per month in Wilmington, NC and $2,432 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 191% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,295 per month in Wilmington, NC and $537 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 $1,621, than in Wilmington, NC at $2,773. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wilmington, NC 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, Wilmington, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.