Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ekibastuz

For one person, living is cheaper in Ekibastuz: $837 a month against $1,619 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
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Ekibastuz
Learn more

Ekibastuz Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Ekibastuz

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ekibastuz

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $837 in Ekibastuz, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Ekibastuz $837

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,347 in Ekibastuz, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Ekibastuz $1,347

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,856 in Ekibastuz, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Ekibastuz $1,856

Budapest costs about 93% more than Ekibastuz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Ekibastuz is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$10.86 ₸4,910

28.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$37.29 ₸16.9K

64.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.95 ₸3,595

28.18%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.53 ₸692

113.07%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.12 ₸507

91.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.63 ₸285

182.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.30 ₸590

185.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.20 ₸997

71.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.32 ₸599

-12.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.61 ₸275

193.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.62 ₸732

53.70%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.16 ₸976

80.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$12.31 ₸5,564

-9.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.94 ₸2,687

11.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.76 ₸4,865

36.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.80 ₸814

1.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.26 ₸1,023

-9.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.22 ₸1,006

6.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.22 ₸1,001

75.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.65 ₸296

52.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.46 ₸209

117.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.54 ₸695

2.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.95 ₸429

-29.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.18 ₸984

265.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$11.16 ₸5,047

-44.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.31 ₸592

-3.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.33 ₸1,054

-12.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.25 ₸114

508.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.13 ₸510

192.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.14 ₸514

20.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.48 ₸2,930

206.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.60 ₸272

203.33%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$24.5K ₸11.1M

21.71%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$30.1K ₸13.6M

12.19%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$68.3 ₸30.9K

150.69%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$10.31 ₸4,659

128.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$17.78 ₸8,036

30.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.29 ₸2,844

47.85%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$378 ₸170.9K

41.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$11.6K ₸5.3M

44.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$64.3 ₸29.1K

54.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$47.03 ₸21.3K

-7.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$120 ₸54.0K

-7.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$131 ₸59.2K

-9.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$247 ₸111.8K

235.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$181 ₸81.7K

244.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$450 ₸203.4K

254.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$332 ₸150.2K

252.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$337 ₸152.3K

390.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

15.5

-58.39%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ekibastuz: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Ekibastuz

$181 21.6% 71% $441

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Ekibastuz

$230 27.5% 10.9% $28

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Ekibastuz

$147 17.6% 34.1% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Ekibastuz

$96 11.5% 55.8% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Ekibastuz

$163 19.5% 2.8% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Ekibastuz

$13 * 1.5% 85.4% $74

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ekibastuz

$7.8 * 0.9% 82.3% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $247 in Ekibastuz. 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 390% 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 $37.00 in Ekibastuz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $230 – making Ekibastuz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇿 Ekibastuz

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

14:42 2:42 PM

4 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

159,760

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Ekibastuz 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Ekibastuz

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 Ekibastuz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 93%, 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 $1,256 in Ekibastuz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $37.00 in Ekibastuz. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% 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 Ekibastuz, where all-in costs run around $837, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ekibastuz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ekibastuz – 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 Ekibastuz. 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.