Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ashgabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $3,331 in Ashgabat, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Ashgabat
Learn more

Ashgabat Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Ashgabat

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ashgabat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,621 in Budapest versus $3,331 in Ashgabat.

Budapest $1,621
Ashgabat $3,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,555 in Budapest versus $5,094 in Ashgabat.

Budapest $2,555
Ashgabat $5,094

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in Budapest versus $6,857 in Ashgabat.

Budapest $3,489
Ashgabat $6,857

Living in Budapest costs roughly 51% less than in Ashgabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 21% above, Ashgabat 149% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$31.23 TMT 105

-55.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$85.1 TMT 286

-29.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$12.65 TMT 42.51

-21.26%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$6.59 TMT 22.13

-48.71%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$1.53 TMT 5.16

39.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.82 TMT 2.75

128.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$5.67 TMT 19.04

-33.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$13.74 TMT 46.18

-74.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$4.48 TMT 15.05

-74.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$2.05 TMT 6.90

-10.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$5.82 TMT 19.54

-58.93%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$5.93 TMT 19.93

-35.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$37.90 TMT 127

-70.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$20.09 TMT 67.5

-66.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$23.50 TMT 79.0

-37.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$4.98 TMT 16.75

-63.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$8.53 TMT 28.66

-76.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$7.32 TMT 24.60

-67.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$3.61 TMT 12.12

4.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$2.33 TMT 7.82

-58.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.46 TMT 4.91

-29.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$2.69 TMT 9.03

-42.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.12 TMT 3.75

-41.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$25.56 TMT 85.9

-68.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$42.09 TMT 141

-85.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$5.26 TMT 17.67

-75.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.89 TMT 9.70

-28.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.15 TMT 0.49

900.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$9.89 TMT 33.23

179.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$2.90 TMT 9.76

13.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.88 TMT 2.97

47.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$8.41 TMT 28.25

135.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.44 TMT 1.49

311.36%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$44.6K TMT 149.7K

-34.18%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$57.2K TMT 192.0K

-40.32%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$580 TMT 1,950

-70.71%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$56.8 TMT 191

-57.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$103 TMT 348

-77.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$191 TMT 642

-65.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$45.50 TMT 153

-57.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$8.53 TMT 28.67

11.61%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$23.05 TMT 77.5

2228.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$24.8K TMT 83.3K

-33.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$54.8 TMT 184

84.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$115 TMT 386

-62.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$365 TMT 1,227

-69.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$189 TMT 634

-37.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$1,402 TMT 4,709

-42.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$1,000 TMT 3,361

-37.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$2,288 TMT 7,686

-32.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$1,920 TMT 6,452

-39.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$3,527 TMT 11.9K

59.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$2,813 TMT 9,450

41.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$736 TMT 2,475

120.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

9.5

-32.32%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ashgabat: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Ashgabat

$1K 29.5% 59% $371

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Ashgabat

$671 19.8% 160% $413

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Ashgabat

$432 12.7% 92.7% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Ashgabat

$741 21.8% 241% $523

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Ashgabat

$326 9.6% 92.5% $156

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Ashgabat

$208 6.1% 144% $123

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Ashgabat

$18 0.5% 59% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $805 in Budapest and $1,402 in Ashgabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 121% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Budapest vs $85.0 in Ashgabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $671 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇲 Ashgabat

🕒 Local time

09:12 9:12 AM

12:12 12:12 PM

3 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

909,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.265 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TMT, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.36 TMT (1 TMT = 0.298 USD). 1 EUR = 3.77 TMT (1 TMT = 0.265 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Ashgabat 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Ashgabat

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 Ashgabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Ashgabat differ by about 105% in total monthly costs ($1,621 vs $3,331 including rent). Budapest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 121% 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: $805 in Budapest versus $1,402 in Ashgabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Budapest versus $23.05 in Ashgabat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 160% higher in Ashgabat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,621 in Budapest versus $3,331 in Ashgabat, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Ashgabat. The gap between the two cities makes Budapest 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 Ashgabat 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 Budapest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Ashgabat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.