Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Arkhangelsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Arkhangelsk: $1,168 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Arkhangelsk
Learn more

Arkhangelsk Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Arkhangelsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,168

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Arkhangelsk

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 Arkhangelsk actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Budapest versus $1,168 in Arkhangelsk.

Budapest $1,641
Arkhangelsk $1,168

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,562 in Budapest versus $1,801 in Arkhangelsk.

Budapest $2,562
Arkhangelsk $1,801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,483 in Budapest versus $2,434 in Arkhangelsk.

Budapest $3,483
Arkhangelsk $2,434

Living in Budapest is roughly 40% more expensive than in Arkhangelsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 21% above, Arkhangelsk is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$49.21 ₽4,107

23.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$9.90 ₽826

4.75%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$3.67 ₽306

-5.72%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$2.36 ₽197

-12.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$2.41 ₽201

-26.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$3.65 ₽304

1.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$6.03 ₽503

-36.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.07 ₽88.9

8.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.94 ₽78.2

96.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.78 ₽148

34.83%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$1.76 ₽147

126.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$8.36 ₽698

36.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$6.12 ₽511

12.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$13.38 ₽1,116

8.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$2.45 ₽204

-23.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.79 ₽149

19.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.18 ₽98.3

94.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.49 ₽208

62.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.88 ₽73.2

15.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.50 ₽41.38

98.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.47 ₽38.99

236.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.63 ₽52.5

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$2.98 ₽249

169.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$8.53 ₽712

-27.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$0.89 ₽74.4

39.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$3.09 ₽258

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.59 ₽49.65

169.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$51.6 ₽4,307

-46.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$4.97 ₽414

-30.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.18 ₽15.17

638.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.79 ₽65.7

144.30%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$52.5K ₽4.4M

-44.54%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$40.1K ₽3.3M

-13.33%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$114 ₽9,507

53.27%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$9.53 ₽796

147.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$17.79 ₽1,485

32.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$54.6 ₽4,557

26.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$48.61 ₽4,057

-60.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$9.73 ₽812

5.96%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$183 ₽15.2K

193.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$85.4 ₽7,127

16.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$36.31 ₽3,030

19.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$72.6 ₽6,059

53.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$95.5 ₽7,968

24.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$600 ₽50.1K

38.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$428 ₽35.7K

46.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$846 ₽70.6K

87.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$719 ₽60.0K

66.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$1,367 ₽114.1K

318.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$859 ₽71.7K

359.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$554 ₽46.3K

208.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-71.96%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Arkhangelsk: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Arkhangelsk

$428 36.7% 31.9% $201

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Arkhangelsk

$211 18.1% 19.4% $51

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Arkhangelsk

$123 * 10.5% 45.6% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Arkhangelsk

$141 12.1% 36.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Arkhangelsk

$130 11.2% 22.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Arkhangelsk

$74 6.3% 17.2% $15

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Arkhangelsk

$60 5.1% 36.1% $16

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 $832 in Budapest and $600 in Arkhangelsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 209% 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: $61.0 in Budapest vs $49.00 in Arkhangelsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $211 per month, with Arkhangelsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇺 Arkhangelsk

🕒 Local time

22:36 10:36 PM

23:36 11:36 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

344,927

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

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).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Arkhangelsk 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Arkhangelsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Arkhangelsk differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,641 vs $1,168 including rent). Arkhangelsk is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 209% higher in Budapest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $832 in Budapest versus $600 in Arkhangelsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,641 per month in Budapest versus $1,168 in Arkhangelsk – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Arkhangelsk runs roughly 88% less than in Budapest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,168 in Arkhangelsk versus $1,641 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Arkhangelsk but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Arkhangelsk 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, Budapest and Arkhangelsk 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 Arkhangelsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.