Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Karaganda

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaganda: $926 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Karaganda
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Karaganda Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Karaganda

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Karaganda

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $926 in Karaganda, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Karaganda $926

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,492 in Karaganda, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Karaganda $1,492

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,058 in Karaganda, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Karaganda $2,058

Budapest costs about 75% more than Karaganda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Karaganda is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$9.85 ₸4,452

41.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$35.09 ₸15.9K

74.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.43 ₸2,453

87.66%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.92 ₸869

69.79%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.91 ₸413

135.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.64 ₸290

178.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.36 ₸617

172.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.80 ₸1,267

34.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.34 ₸605

-14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.49 ₸222

265.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.32 ₸597

88.64%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.79 ₸808

117.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$13.12 ₸5,929

-15.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.40 ₸2,442

22.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.19 ₸5,060

31.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.49 ₸673

22.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.89 ₸856

8.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.87 ₸1,299

-17.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.17 ₸979

79.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.67 ₸301

47.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.59 ₸267

69.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.03 ₸467

53.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.69 ₸310

-2.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.25 ₸1,016

253.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$8.43 ₸3,813

-26.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.35 ₸610

-5.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.12 ₸957

-4.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.21 ₸94.9

623.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$15.75 ₸7,119

77.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.26 ₸568

162.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.20 ₸541

14.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$3.31 ₸1,496

499.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.56 ₸254

225.00%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$22.0K ₸10.0M

35.14%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$31.9K ₸14.4M

5.84%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$72.2 ₸32.7K

136.88%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$10.01 ₸4,523

134.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$11.86 ₸5,360

96.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$46.00 ₸20.8K

46.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$18.82 ₸8,505

0.37%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.34 ₸2,416

74.16%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$135 ₸60.8K

296.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$58.9 ₸26.6K

69.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$57.8 ₸26.1K

-24.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$79.1 ₸35.8K

39.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$85.6 ₸38.7K

38.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$394 ₸178.2K

110.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$273 ₸123.2K

128.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$738 ₸333.5K

115.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$536 ₸242.3K

118.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,053 ₸476.1K

453.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$711 ₸321.5K

446.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$569 ₸257.3K

190.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

19.25

-66.49%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Karaganda: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Karaganda

$273 29.5% 56.2% $349

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Karaganda

$215 23.2% 16.6% $43

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Karaganda

$137 14.8% 38.7% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Karaganda

$94 10.2% 56.8% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Karaganda

$127 13.7% 24.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Karaganda

$57 6.1% 34.2% $29

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Karaganda

$24 2.6% 46.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $394 in Karaganda. 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 190% 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 $35.00 in Karaganda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $215 – making Karaganda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇿 Karaganda

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

10:08 10:08 AM

4 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

520,486

💱 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 →

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Budapest Karaganda 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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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 Karaganda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 75%, 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 $1,389 in Karaganda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 78% less in Karaganda. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $135 in Karaganda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Karaganda, where all-in costs run around $926, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Karaganda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karaganda – 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 Karaganda. 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.