Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Elista

For one person, living is cheaper in Elista: $887 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Elista
Learn more

Elista Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Elista

🇷🇺 Russia

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Elista

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $887 in Elista, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Elista $887

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,466 in Elista, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Elista $1,466

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,045 in Elista, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Elista $2,045

Budapest costs about 83% more than Elista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Elista is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.61 ₽552

110.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$47.59 ₽3,972

28.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.40 ₽534

59.22%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.71 ₽226

20.30%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.94 ₽78.2

127.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.62 ₽51.9

187.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.14 ₽95.4

225.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.81 ₽151

108.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.03 ₽85.8

11.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.56 ₽46.39

219.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.07 ₽89.5

132.71%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.42 ₽119

174.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.19 ₽600

54.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.56 ₽380

45.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.15 ₽931

31.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.19 ₽99.4

53.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.45 ₽121

41.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.39 ₽116

70.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.55 ₽213

52.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.75 ₽62.3

32.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.46 ₽38.79

117.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.35 ₽29.04

351.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.64 ₽53.8

4.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.75 ₽229

189.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$8.89 ₽742

-30.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.05 ₽87.2

20.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.86 ₽156

9.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.52 ₽43.40

192.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.13 ₽178

55.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.36 ₽30.36

280.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$3.60 ₽300

450.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.87 ₽72.3

109.20%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$25.9K ₽2.2M

15.19%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$30.4K ₽2.5M

11.15%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$84.4 ₽7,042

102.82%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$5.97 ₽498

293.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$7.91 ₽660

194.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$34.99 ₽2,921

93.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$24.25 ₽2,024

-22.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.14 ₽345

124.64%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$369 ₽30.8K

44.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,636 ₽553.8K

152.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$81.3 ₽6,786

22.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$52.4 ₽4,374

-17.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$54.2 ₽4,522

103.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$101 ₽8,468

17.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$476 ₽39.7K

74.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$313 ₽26.1K

98.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$830 ₽69.3K

91.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$642 ₽53.6K

82.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,917 ₽160.0K

204.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,588 ₽132.5K

144.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$363 ₽30.3K

355.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

21.33

-69.76%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Elista: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Elista

$313 35.3% 49.6% $309

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Elista

$176 19.8% 31.9% $82

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Elista

$120 13.6% 46.1% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Elista

$98 11.1% 54.9% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Elista

$130 14.7% 22.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Elista

$43 4.9% 49.8% $43

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Elista

$6 * 0.7% 86.4% $38

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 $476 in Elista. 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 355% 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 $48.00 in Elista. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $176 – making Elista the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇺 Elista

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

14:26 2:26 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

103,219

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Elista 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Elista

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 Elista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 83%, 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 $1,330 in Elista. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Elista, 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 $48.00 in Elista. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elista, where all-in costs run around $887, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Elista it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elista – 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 Elista. 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.