Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Apatity

For one person, living is cheaper in Apatity: $1,070 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,641
/mo nomad
Apatity
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,070
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Apatity

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Apatity actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,070 in Apatity, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,641
  • Apatity $1,070

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,672 in Apatity, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,562
  • Apatity $1,672

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,275 in Apatity, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,483
  • Apatity $2,275

Budapest costs about 53% more than Apatity, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Apatity
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.04 Ft 4,536
$12.81 ₽1,069
9.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.9 Ft 19.7K
$33.57 ₽2,801
81.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.37 Ft 3,351
$6.93 ₽578
49.64%
Cappuccino
$3.46 Ft 1,117
$2.72 ₽227
27.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 Ft 669
$1.07 ₽89.0
93.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 Ft 572
$0.57 ₽47.60
210.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.69 Ft 1,191
$1.69 ₽141
118.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.80 Ft 1,229
$3.41 ₽285
11.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Apatity
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 Ft 374
$1.05 ₽87.8
10.48%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 Ft 598
$0.66 ₽54.8
180.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.40 Ft 776
$1.23 ₽103
95.12%
Eggs
$3.99 Ft 1,289
$1.73 ₽145
130.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.40 Ft 3,683
$12.08 ₽1,008
-5.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.87 Ft 2,221
$6.03 ₽503
13.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.49 Ft 4,682
$12.86 ₽1,073
12.67%
Apples (1kg)
$1.88 Ft 607
$1.82 ₽152
3.30%
Banana (1kg)
$2.14 Ft 693
$1.67 ₽140
28.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 Ft 744
$1.61 ₽134
42.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.04 Ft 1,304
$3.04 ₽254
32.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.02 Ft 329
$0.84 ₽69.8
21.43%
Onion (1kg)
$0.99 Ft 320
$0.64 ₽53.8
54.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 Ft 510
$1.25 ₽104
26.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.70 Ft 225
$0.68 ₽56.7
2.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.03 Ft 2,594
$2.84 ₽237
182.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.18 Ft 1,997
$8.52 ₽711
-27.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 Ft 401
$0.98 ₽81.6
26.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 Ft 666
$1.93 ₽161
6.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Apatity
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.59 Ft 513
$0.59 ₽48.86
169.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.52 Ft 8,893
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.43 Ft 1,110
$2.25 ₽188
52.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.33 Ft 431
$0.34 ₽28.42
291.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.45 Ft 6,607
$5.41 ₽452
278.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.93 Ft 624
$0.82 ₽68.8
135.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K Ft 9.4M
$56.8K ₽4.7M
-48.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K Ft 11.2M
$41.0K ₽3.4M
-15.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Apatity
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$175 Ft 56.4K
$134 ₽11.2K
30.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.62 Ft 7,631
$7.14 ₽596
230.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.60 Ft 7,625
$9.70 ₽810
143.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Apatity
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.8 Ft 22.2K
$33.93 ₽2,832
102.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.26 Ft 6,224
$27.18 ₽2,269
-29.14%
Cinema Ticket
$10.31 Ft 3,333
$7.27 ₽607
41.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Apatity
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$535 Ft 172.9K
$401 ₽33.5K
33.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
$5,935 ₽495.3K
183.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Apatity
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.9 Ft 32.3K
$90.8 ₽7,578
9.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.27 Ft 14.0K
$45.47 ₽3,795
-4.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 Ft 36.1K
$114 ₽9,533
-2.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.4K
$100 ₽8,361
18.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Apatity
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$832 Ft 268.8K
$417 ₽34.8K
99.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 203.3K
$312 ₽26.0K
101.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,586 Ft 512.4K
$982 ₽81.9K
61.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 Ft 386.6K
$587 ₽49.0K
103.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,718 Ft 1.8M
$1,948 ₽162.6K
193.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,947 Ft 1.3M
$1,630 ₽136.0K
142.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Apatity
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,712 Ft 553.1K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.45
27.67
-76.69%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Apatity: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$629
Apatity
$312 50.5% $318
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$262
Apatity
$217 16.9% $44
Eating Out
Budapest
$226
Apatity
$178 21.5% $49
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$222
Apatity
$151 32.1% $71
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$168
Apatity
$158 6.2% $10
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$89
Apatity
$48 45.8% $41
Getting Around
Budapest
$44
Apatity
$6.3 * 85.7% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $417 in Apatity. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $34.00 in Apatity. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $217 – making Apatity the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇷🇺 Apatity
🕒 Local time
19:40 7:40 PM
20:40 8:40 PM
1 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
48,748
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Apatity 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Apatity

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
Budapest vs Apatity: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Apatity cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,605 in Apatity. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Apatity, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Budapest and in Apatity?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,641 in Budapest and $1,070 in Apatity. That's a gap of about 53%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $401 in Apatity. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Apatity?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Apatity, where all-in costs run around $1,070, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Apatity it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Apatity more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Apatity – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Apatity?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Apatity. 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.

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