Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brest and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Brest: $836 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Brest
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Brest Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Brest

🇧🇾 Belarus

$836

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $836 per month in Brest vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Brest $836
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,334 per month in Brest vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Brest $1,334
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,833 per month in Brest vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Brest $1,833
Budapest $3,489

Brest is about 48% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Brest sits 38% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.85 BYN 39.08

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-8.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.27 BYN 113

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-38.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.65 BYN 20.21

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-33.23%

Cappuccino

$2.05 BYN 6.24

$3.38 Ft 1,102

-39.35%

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

$0.98 BYN 2.98

$2.13 Ft 693

-53.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 BYN 2.71

$1.87 Ft 609

-52.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 BYN 9.65

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-15.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 BYN 11.76

$3.57 Ft 1,163

8.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 BYN 3.44

$1.13 Ft 369

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 BYN 2.91

$1.84 Ft 600

-47.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 BYN 2.90

$2.39 Ft 777

-59.83%

Eggs

$1.57 BYN 4.78

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-59.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.03 BYN 21.38

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-37.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 BYN 10.77

$6.74 Ft 2,194

-47.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.51 BYN 10.66

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-76.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 BYN 6.03

$1.84 Ft 598

7.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 BYN 7.28

$2.01 Ft 654

19.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 BYN 6.36

$2.36 Ft 767

-11.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 BYN 7.53

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-34.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 BYN 2.58

$0.96 Ft 314

-11.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 BYN 5.02

$1.03 Ft 335

60.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 BYN 6.04

$1.56 Ft 509

27.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 BYN 3.93

$0.66 Ft 216

95.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.56 BYN 7.77

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-67.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.62 BYN 23.15

$6.01 Ft 1,956

26.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 BYN 3.70

$1.30 Ft 422

-6.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 BYN 6.04

$2.08 Ft 677

-4.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 BYN 1.08

$1.50 Ft 490

-76.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.44 BYN 46.94

$27.61 Ft 8,991

-44.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 BYN 2.41

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-76.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 BYN 1.75

$1.30 Ft 424

-55.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.68 BYN 50.7

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-15.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 BYN 2.79

$1.81 Ft 591

-49.17%

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

$19.1K BYN 58.1K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-34.79%

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

$26.9K BYN 81.8K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-21.14%

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

$61.8 BYN 188

$170 Ft 55.3K

-63.61%

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

$10.93 BYN 33.23

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-54.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.89 BYN 66.6

$23.42 Ft 7,628

-6.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.42 BYN 98.6

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-51.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.92 BYN 24.09

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-58.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.35 BYN 16.25

$9.52 Ft 3,101

-43.80%

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

$320 BYN 972

$537 Ft 174.8K

-40.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,107 BYN 18.6K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-63.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 BYN 158

$101 Ft 33.0K

-48.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.61 BYN 117

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-10.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 BYN 395

$113 Ft 36.7K

15.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 BYN 258

$119 Ft 38.7K

-28.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 BYN 1,038

$805 Ft 262.2K

-57.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 BYN 553

$629 Ft 204.9K

-71.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 BYN 1,465

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-68.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$307 BYN 934

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-73.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,389 BYN 7,262

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-57.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,712 BYN 8,244

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-31.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$510 BYN 1,550

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-68.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

71.07%

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

Last update for Brest: 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

Brest

$182 21.8%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 246% $447

Groceries & Markets

Brest

$180 21.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 43.1% $78

Eating Out

Brest

$179 21.3%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 25.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Brest

$137 16.4%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 23% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brest

$95 11.3%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 130% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Brest

$43 5.2%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 97.8% $42

Getting Around

Brest

$21 2.5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 112% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $342 in Brest 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 219% higher in Budapest, 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 $37.00 in Brest versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $258 – making Brest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇾 Brest

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:13 2:13 PM

13:13 1:13 PM

1 h behind Brest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,521

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Belarusian Ruble BYN Br

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BYN = 0.329 USD

1 BYN = 0.294 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to BYN – Belarusian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇾 Belarusian Ruble (Br)

Belarusian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.04 BYN (1 BYN = 0.329 USD). 1 EUR = 3.41 BYN (1 BYN = 0.294 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 BYN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brest Budapest 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brest
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

Brest vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest costs about 94% more than Brest, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,254 per month in Brest 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 Brest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Brest and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Brest, where all-in costs run around $836, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Brest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Brest costs $836 versus $1,621 in Budapest. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Brest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.