Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bishkek and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bishkek: $1,003 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
Learn more

Bishkek Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$1,003

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,003 in Bishkek versus $1,621 in Budapest.

Bishkek $1,003
Budapest $1,621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,502 in Bishkek versus $2,555 in Budapest.

Bishkek $1,502
Budapest $2,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,000 in Bishkek versus $3,489 in Budapest.

Bishkek $2,000
Budapest $3,489

Living in Bishkek costs roughly 38% less than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bishkek is 25% below, Budapest is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.66 KGS 582

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-52.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.85 KGS 2,520

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-52.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 KGS 495

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-43.07%

Cappuccino

$2.47 KGS 216

$3.38 Ft 1,102

-26.92%

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

$0.77 KGS 67.3

$2.13 Ft 693

-63.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 KGS 35.14

$1.87 Ft 609

-78.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.40 KGS 122

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-62.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 KGS 173

$3.57 Ft 1,163

-44.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 KGS 89.8

$1.13 Ft 369

-8.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 KGS 33.96

$1.84 Ft 600

-78.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 KGS 151

$2.39 Ft 777

-27.62%

Eggs

$1.71 KGS 150

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-55.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.62 KGS 666

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-32.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 KGS 390

$6.74 Ft 2,194

-33.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.88 KGS 776

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-39.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 KGS 123

$1.84 Ft 598

-23.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 KGS 166

$2.01 Ft 654

-5.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 KGS 176

$2.36 Ft 767

-14.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 KGS 137

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-58.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 KGS 54.4

$0.96 Ft 314

-35.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 KGS 41.92

$1.03 Ft 335

-53.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 KGS 65.5

$1.56 Ft 509

-51.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 KGS 53.0

$0.66 Ft 216

-7.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 KGS 181

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-73.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.06 KGS 792

$6.01 Ft 1,956

50.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 KGS 125

$1.30 Ft 422

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 KGS 177

$2.08 Ft 677

-2.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 KGS 19.14

$1.50 Ft 490

-85.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.84 KGS 1,035

$27.61 Ft 8,991

-57.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 KGS 72.6

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-74.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 KGS 41.06

$1.30 Ft 424

-63.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 KGS 493

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-71.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 KGS 82.6

$1.81 Ft 591

-48.07%

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

$30.4K KGS 2.7M

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

3.74%

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

$33.6K KGS 2.9M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-1.55%

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

$49.60 KGS 4,334

$170 Ft 55.3K

-70.81%

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

$5.87 KGS 513

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-75.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.90 KGS 1,040

$23.42 Ft 7,628

-49.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 KGS 4,784

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-17.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.89 KGS 1,301

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-22.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 KGS 491

$9.52 Ft 3,101

-40.97%

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

$216 KGS 18.9K

$537 Ft 174.8K

-59.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,991 KGS 698.2K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-51.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 KGS 4,808

$101 Ft 33.0K

-45.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.42 KGS 3,707

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-1.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 KGS 7,844

$113 Ft 36.7K

-20.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.1 KGS 7,955

$119 Ft 38.7K

-23.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 KGS 52.3K

$805 Ft 262.2K

-25.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 KGS 36.5K

$629 Ft 204.9K

-33.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 KGS 88.5K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-34.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 KGS 63.1K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-38.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,808 KGS 157.9K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-67.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,209 KGS 105.7K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-69.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$506 KGS 44.2K

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-68.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.1

6.43

212.60%

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

Last update for Bishkek: October 6, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bishkek

$418 42.4%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 50.6% $211

Groceries & Markets

Bishkek

$177 17.9%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 45.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Bishkek

$125 12.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 35% $44

Eating Out

Bishkek

$116 11.7%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 94% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bishkek

$67 6.8%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 223% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Bishkek

$66 6.7%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 29.2% $19

Getting Around

Bishkek

$16 1.6%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 173% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $598 in Bishkek and $805 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 221% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $29.00 in Bishkek vs $60.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $258 per month, with Bishkek cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

07:31 7:31 AM

4 h behind Bishkek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,012,500 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to KGS – Kyrgyzstani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstani Som (сом)

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 87.37 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 97.99 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to KGS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bishkek Budapest 4,290 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bishkek
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

Bishkek vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bishkek is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 62% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 221% lower in Budapest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $598 in Bishkek versus $805 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $216 in Bishkek versus $537 in Budapest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,003 in Bishkek versus $1,621 in Budapest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bishkek but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Bishkek the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bishkek is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Budapest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bishkek 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 Bishkek gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.