Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arzamas and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Arzamas: $1,046 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Arzamas
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Arzamas Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Arzamas

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,046

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,046 in Arzamas versus $1,619 in Budapest.

Arzamas $1,046
Budapest $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,613 in Arzamas versus $2,524 in Budapest.

Arzamas $1,613
Budapest $2,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,180 in Arzamas versus $3,429 in Budapest.

Arzamas $2,180
Budapest $3,429

Living in Arzamas costs roughly 35% less than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arzamas is 23% below, Budapest is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 ₽846

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-27.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.19 ₽2,853

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-44.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 ₽570

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-32.97%

Cappuccino

$2.74 ₽229

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-15.95%

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

$1.06 ₽88.3

$2.14 Ft 690

-50.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₽43.61

$1.78 Ft 577

-70.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 ₽154

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-50.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₽235

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-25.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 ₽91.8

$1.15 Ft 371

-4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 ₽54.1

$1.79 Ft 578

-63.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ₽111

$2.49 Ft 804

-46.59%

Eggs

$1.77 ₽147

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-54.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 ₽815

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-11.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.87 ₽490

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-11.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.33 ₽1,029

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-16.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 ₽143

$1.83 Ft 591

-6.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ₽139

$2.05 Ft 661

-19.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 ₽149

$2.37 Ft 765

-24.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 ₽246

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-24.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₽56.2

$0.99 Ft 320

-32.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 ₽43.63

$1.00 Ft 322

-48.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 ₽122

$1.58 Ft 511

-7.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₽58.6

$0.67 Ft 216

4.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₽282

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-57.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.60 ₽551

$6.22 Ft 2,009

6.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 ₽90.8

$1.27 Ft 411

-14.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₽170

$2.03 Ft 654

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 ₽46.05

$1.52 Ft 490

-63.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 ₽184

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-33.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ₽28.04

$1.37 Ft 442

-75.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.49 ₽542

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-67.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 ₽70.4

$1.82 Ft 589

-53.85%

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

$35.8K ₽3.0M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

20.03%

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

$27.7K ₽2.3M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-17.96%

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

$134 ₽11.2K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-21.76%

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

$6.62 ₽553

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-71.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.25 ₽689

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-64.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.02 ₽2,672

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-52.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.36 ₽1,699

$18.89 Ft 6,104

7.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 ₽556

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-28.39%

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

$381 ₽31.8K

$533 Ft 172.3K

-28.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,116 ₽510.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-63.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.8 ₽7,161

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-13.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 ₽4,318

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

18.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 ₽10.3K

$110 Ft 35.7K

11.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₽9,050

$119 Ft 38.4K

-8.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₽25.2K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-63.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 ₽26.6K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-48.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$474 ₽39.5K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-70.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 ₽46.9K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-51.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,064 ₽172.3K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-64.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,375 ₽114.8K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-64.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.45

6.45

232.56%

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

Last update for Arzamas: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arzamas

$318 30.4%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 95.4% $304

Groceries & Markets

Arzamas

$206 19.7%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 25.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Arzamas

$166 15.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 0.9% $1.6

Eating Out

Arzamas

$156 14.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 43.3% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arzamas

$149 14.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 46.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Arzamas

$45 4.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 90% $41

Getting Around

Arzamas

$6.1 * 0.6%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 626% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $302 in Arzamas and $830 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in Arzamas vs $61.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $258 per month, with Arzamas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Arzamas

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

05:38 5:38 AM

1 h behind Arzamas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,396

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Arzamas Budapest 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Arzamas
Budapest

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arzamas vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arzamas and Budapest differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,046 vs $1,619 including rent). Arzamas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,569 in Arzamas and $2,428 in Budapest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $302 in Arzamas versus $830 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,046 per month in Arzamas versus $1,619 in Budapest – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,046 in Arzamas versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Arzamas but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Arzamas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Arzamas and Budapest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Arzamas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.