Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Baku

For one person, living is cheaper in Baku: $1,030 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Baku
Learn more

Baku Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Baku

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$1,030

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Baku

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,621 in Budapest versus $1,030 in Baku.

Budapest $1,621
Baku $1,030

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,555 in Budapest versus $1,600 in Baku.

Budapest $2,555
Baku $1,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in Budapest versus $2,171 in Baku.

Budapest $3,489
Baku $2,171

Living in Budapest is roughly 57% more expensive than in Baku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 21% above, Baku is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$8.86 ₼15.06

57.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$40.20 ₼68.3

50.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$8.02 ₼13.63

24.19%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$3.42 ₼5.81

-1.17%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$1.13 ₼1.91

88.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.62 ₼1.06

201.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$1.80 ₼3.06

108.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$2.88 ₼4.89

23.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.51 ₼2.56

-25.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$0.53 ₼0.90

247.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.49 ₼4.23

-4.02%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$2.07 ₼3.51

85.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$5.06 ₼8.61

123.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$5.30 ₼9.00

27.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$11.88 ₼20.19

23.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$1.28 ₼2.18

43.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.89 ₼3.22

6.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.61 ₼2.73

46.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$1.77 ₼3.01

112.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$0.73 ₼1.25

31.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$0.56 ₼0.95

83.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.79 ₼1.34

97.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.72 ₼1.22

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$2.96 ₼5.04

168.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$8.73 ₼14.83

-31.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.54 ₼2.61

-15.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$2.82 ₼4.80

-26.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.34 ₼0.58

341.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$21.52 ₼36.58

28.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$2.02 ₼3.44

63.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.61 ₼1.03

113.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$3.44 ₼5.85

475.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.64 ₼1.09

182.81%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$23.4K ₼39.8K

25.37%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$21.1K ₼35.8K

61.98%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$65.5 ₼111

159.61%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$11.24 ₼19.11

113.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$15.14 ₼25.73

54.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$48.75 ₼82.9

35.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$16.46 ₼27.98

16.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$5.79 ₼9.84

64.42%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$326 ₼555

64.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$6,787 ₼11.5K

144.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$67.4 ₼115

50.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$55.2 ₼93.8

-22.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$126 ₼214

-10.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$116 ₼197

2.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$543 ₼922

48.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$316 ₼537

99.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$1,030 ₼1,750

50.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$513 ₼872

127.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,188 ₼3,719

156.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,307 ₼2,222

203.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$564 ₼958

188.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

9.46

-32.03%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Baku: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Baku

$316 31.2% 49.8% $313

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Baku

$195 19.2% 24.4% $63

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Baku

$158 15.6% 29.7% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Baku

$92 9.1% 57.7% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Baku

$164 16.2% 3% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Baku

$60 6% 29.3% $25

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Baku

$28 2.8% 35.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $805 in Budapest and $543 in Baku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 188% 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: $60.0 in Budapest vs $40.00 in Baku for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $195 per month, with Baku cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇦🇿 Baku

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

07:41 7:41 AM

2 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

2,300,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.525 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, 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).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.525 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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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 Baku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Baku differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($1,621 vs $1,030 including rent). Baku is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 188% 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 $543 in Baku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Budapest versus $326 in Baku. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,030 in Baku versus $1,621 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baku but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Baku 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 Baku 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 Baku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.