Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Astana

For one person, living is cheaper in Astana: $1,102 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Astana
Learn more

Astana Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Astana

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Astana

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,102 in Astana, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Astana $1,102

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,788 in Astana, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Astana $1,788

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,474 in Astana, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Astana $2,474

Budapest costs about 47% more than Astana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Astana is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$10.89 ₸4,901

28.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$37.77 ₸17.0K

59.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$7.71 ₸3,470

29.18%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$2.50 ₸1,125

35.20%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$1.11 ₸500

91.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.67 ₸300

179.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$1.29 ₸582

190.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$2.23 ₸1,005

60.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.25 ₸563

-9.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$0.59 ₸266

211.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.62 ₸729

47.53%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$2.22 ₸1,000

72.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$11.83 ₸5,325

-4.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$5.67 ₸2,552

18.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$10.25 ₸4,615

43.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$1.80 ₸810

2.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$2.33 ₸1,049

-13.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.28 ₸1,028

3.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$2.21 ₸996

70.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$0.66 ₸296

45.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$0.42 ₸191

145.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.46 ₸657

6.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.92 ₸415

-28.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$2.25 ₸1,013

253.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$10.74 ₸4,833

-44.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.32 ₸596

-1.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$2.37 ₸1,068

-12.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.23 ₸103

552.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$16.27 ₸7,324

69.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$2.15 ₸966

53.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.11 ₸498

17.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$6.41 ₸2,883

208.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.62 ₸278

191.94%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$24.1K ₸10.9M

21.54%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$30.2K ₸13.6M

13.13%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$65.7 ₸29.6K

158.66%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$9.81 ₸4,416

144.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$17.72 ₸7,978

32.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$56.6 ₸25.5K

17.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$20.12 ₸9,059

-4.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$6.46 ₸2,906

47.37%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$365 ₸164.1K

47.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$11.6K ₸5.2M

43.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$63.6 ₸28.6K

59.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$46.04 ₸20.7K

-6.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$117 ₸52.7K

-3.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$125 ₸56.3K

-4.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$561 ₸252.4K

43.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$379 ₸170.6K

65.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$1,103 ₸496.7K

40.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$767 ₸345.4K

52.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,553 ₸699.3K

261.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,117 ₸503.0K

255.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$876 ₸394.6K

85.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

15.5

-58.52%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Astana: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Astana

$379 34.2% 39.8% $250

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Astana

$224 20.2% 13% $34

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Astana

$158 14.3% 29.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Astana

$93 8.4% 57.1% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Astana

$158 14.3% 6.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Astana

$70 6.3% 18.5% $16

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Astana

$25 2.3% 42.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $561 in Astana. 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 85% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $38.00 in Astana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $224 – making Astana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇿 Astana

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

13:30 1:30 PM

4 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

814,400 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Astana 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Astana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,621 in Budapest, $1,102 in Astana – roughly 47% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,653 in Astana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Astana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $365 in Astana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Astana, where all-in costs run around $1,102, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Astana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Budapest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,102 in Astana to $1,621 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Astana. 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.