Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Brest

For one person, living is cheaper in Brest: $836 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Brest
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Brest Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Brest

🇧🇾 Belarus

$836

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Brest

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $836 in Brest, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Brest $836

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,334 in Brest, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Brest $1,334

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,833 in Brest, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Brest $1,833

Budapest costs about 94% more than Brest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Brest is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$12.85 BYN 39.08

8.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$37.27 BYN 113

61.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$6.65 BYN 20.21

49.77%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$2.05 BYN 6.24

64.88%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$0.98 BYN 2.98

117.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.89 BYN 2.71

110.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$3.17 BYN 9.65

18.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$3.87 BYN 11.76

-7.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.13 BYN 3.44

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$0.96 BYN 2.91

91.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$0.96 BYN 2.90

148.96%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$1.57 BYN 4.78

143.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$7.03 BYN 21.38

61.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$3.54 BYN 10.77

90.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$3.51 BYN 10.66

318.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$1.98 BYN 6.03

-7.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$2.40 BYN 7.28

-16.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.09 BYN 6.36

12.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$2.48 BYN 7.53

52.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$0.85 BYN 2.58

12.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$1.65 BYN 5.02

-37.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.99 BYN 6.04

-21.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.29 BYN 3.93

-48.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$2.56 BYN 7.77

210.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$7.62 BYN 23.15

-21.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.22 BYN 3.70

6.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$1.99 BYN 6.04

4.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.36 BYN 1.08

316.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$15.44 BYN 46.94

78.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$0.79 BYN 2.41

317.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.58 BYN 1.75

124.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$16.68 BYN 50.7

18.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.92 BYN 2.79

96.74%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$19.1K BYN 58.1K

53.34%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$26.9K BYN 81.8K

26.81%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$61.8 BYN 188

174.81%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$10.93 BYN 33.23

119.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$21.89 BYN 66.6

6.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$32.42 BYN 98.6

104.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$7.92 BYN 24.09

142.17%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$5.35 BYN 16.25

77.94%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$320 BYN 972

67.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$6,107 BYN 18.6K

171.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$52.0 BYN 158

95.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$38.61 BYN 117

11.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$130 BYN 395

-13.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$84.9 BYN 258

39.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$342 BYN 1,038

135.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$182 BYN 553

245.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$482 BYN 1,465

221.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$307 BYN 934

279.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,389 BYN 7,262

135.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$2,712 BYN 8,244

46.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$510 BYN 1,550

218.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

-41.55%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Brest: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Brest

$182 21.8% 71.1% $447

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Brest

$180 21.5% 30.1% $78

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Brest

$179 21.3% 20.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Brest

$95 11.3% 56.4% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Brest

$137 16.4% 18.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Brest

$43 5.2% 49.4% $42

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Brest

$21 2.5% 52.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $342 in Brest. 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 219% 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 $37.00 in Brest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $180 – making Brest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇾 Brest

🕒 Local time

13:14 1:14 PM

14:14 2:14 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

340,521

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Belarusian Ruble BYN Br

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 BYN = 0.329 USD

1 BYN = 0.294 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BYN, 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).

Belarusian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.04 BYN (1 BYN = 0.329 USD). 1 EUR = 3.41 BYN (1 BYN = 0.294 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Brest 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Brest

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 Brest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest costs about 94% more than Brest, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,254 in Brest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 43% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest and $37.00 in Brest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Brest, where all-in costs run around $836, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Brest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Brest costs $836 versus $1,621 in Budapest. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Brest. 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.