Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Chernivtsi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chernivtsi: $722 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Chernivtsi
Learn more

Chernivtsi Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Chernivtsi

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Chernivtsi

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $722 in Chernivtsi, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Chernivtsi $722

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,106 in Chernivtsi, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Chernivtsi $1,106

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,491 in Chernivtsi, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Chernivtsi $1,491

Budapest costs about 124% more than Chernivtsi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Chernivtsi is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$8.16 ₴366

70.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$26.50 ₴1,190

131.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.39 ₴287

59.47%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.09 ₴48.81

199.08%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.08 ₴48.54

98.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.58 ₴25.96

206.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.09 ₴48.91

240.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.30 ₴58.4

190.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.94 ₴42.28

22.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.65 ₴29.01

175.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.28 ₴57.4

94.53%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.53 ₴68.7

154.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$8.66 ₴389

28.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.10 ₴184

61.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$6.51 ₴292

125.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$0.91 ₴41.01

101.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.46 ₴65.5

40.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.68 ₴75.5

41.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.78 ₴80.1

119.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.52 ₴23.17

90.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.56 ₴25.29

78.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.99 ₴44.56

59.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.40 ₴18.05

67.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.72 ₴122

192.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.10 ₴184

51.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.73 ₴32.74

73.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$0.99 ₴44.60

105.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.34 ₴15.46

347.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$6.15 ₴276

355.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.14 ₴51.0

190.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.31 ₴14.08

341.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$2.26 ₴101

777.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.53 ₴68.5

18.95%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$27.1K ₴1.2M

10.11%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.7K ₴1.1M

36.62%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$92.9 ₴4,170

84.18%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$4.95 ₴222

374.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$4.74 ₴213

391.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$24.58 ₴1,103

174.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$15.36 ₴690

22.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.33 ₴194

114.78%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$194 ₴8,710

174.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,146 ₴186.1K

304.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$40.20 ₴1,804

147.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$36.52 ₴1,639

19.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$67.3 ₴3,020

64.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$61.0 ₴2,736

95.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$307 ₴13.8K

170.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$224 ₴10.0K

178.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$500 ₴22.4K

218.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$370 ₴16.6K

216.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,239 ₴55.6K

370.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$950 ₴42.6K

309.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$510 ₴22.9K

223.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-64.17%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chernivtsi: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Chernivtsi

$224 31% 64% $398

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Chernivtsi

$147 20.4% 42.9% $111

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Chernivtsi

$112 15.6% 49.7% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Chernivtsi

$103 14.2% 52.9% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Chernivtsi

$92 12.8% 45% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Chernivtsi

$33 4.6% 61.4% $53

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Chernivtsi

$10 1.4% 76.9% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $307 in Chernivtsi. 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 224% 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $27.00 in Chernivtsi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $147 – making Chernivtsi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇺🇦 Chernivtsi

🕒 Local time

17:39 5:39 PM

18:39 6:39 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

266,550

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.47 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Chernivtsi 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Chernivtsi

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 Chernivtsi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 124%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,082 in Chernivtsi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 356% less in Chernivtsi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $194 in Chernivtsi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chernivtsi, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Chernivtsi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chernivtsi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Chernivtsi. 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.