Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kalush

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalush: $606 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Kalush
Learn more

Kalush Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Kalush

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$606

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kalush

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $606 in Kalush, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Kalush $606

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,015 in Kalush, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Kalush $1,015

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,423 in Kalush, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Kalush $1,423

Budapest costs about 171% more than Kalush, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Kalush is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$6.61 ₴297

112.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$12.16 ₴546

401.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$5.46 ₴245

89.93%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$0.98 ₴43.97

253.06%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.66 ₴29.68

213.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.50 ₴22.39

254.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.13 ₴50.6

226.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$1.73 ₴77.9

119.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.23 ₴55.0

-5.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.60 ₴26.94

208.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.37 ₴61.3

75.18%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$1.40 ₴62.7

185.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$8.90 ₴399

28.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$4.55 ₴204

50.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$7.09 ₴318

104.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.09 ₴49.07

72.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.56 ₴70.2

37.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.61 ₴72.2

42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.24 ₴101

80.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.69 ₴30.97

47.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.49 ₴22.08

102.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.31 ₴58.7

20.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.57 ₴25.59

22.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$2.89 ₴130

177.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$4.52 ₴203

36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$0.87 ₴38.85

42.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.42 ₴63.8

45.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.29 ₴12.88

448.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$11.48 ₴515

139.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$1.09 ₴48.87

214.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.32 ₴14.49

315.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$4.30 ₴193

375.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.33 ₴59.7

45.11%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$32.7K ₴1.5M

-10.82%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$26.1K ₴1.2M

33.13%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$87.7 ₴3,936

99.10%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$4.98 ₴224

374.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$3.83 ₴172

516.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$26.49 ₴1,189

159.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$14.75 ₴662

30.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$4.34 ₴195

137.56%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$271 ₴12.2K

97.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,325 ₴194.1K

289.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$47.11 ₴2,115

111.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$43.89 ₴1,970

-1.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$71.4 ₴3,206

56.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$83.3 ₴3,739

42.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$133 ₴5,975

524.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$90.0 ₴4,040

599.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$253 ₴11.3K

527.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$326 ₴14.6K

267.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$1,053 ₴47.2K

443.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$769 ₴34.5K

413.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$270 ₴12.1K

533.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

17.6

-63.35%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kalush: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Kalush

$90 14.9% 85.7% $539

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Kalush

$164 27% 37.4% $98

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Kalush

$95 15.6% 58.1% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Kalush

$97 15.9% 56.5% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Kalush

$111 18.2% 34.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Kalush

$35 5.8% 60.7% $54

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kalush

$15 2.5% 65.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $133 in Kalush. 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 534% 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 $12.00 in Kalush. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $164 – making Kalush the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇺🇦 Kalush

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

67,559

💱 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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.46 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Kalush: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 171%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $909 in Kalush. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 140% less in Kalush. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $271 in Kalush. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kalush, where all-in costs run around $606, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Kalush it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kalush – 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 Kalush. 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.