Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kostroma

For one person, living is cheaper in Kostroma: $1,228 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Kostroma
Learn more

Kostroma Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Kostroma

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kostroma

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,228 in Kostroma, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Kostroma $1,228

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,964 in Kostroma, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Kostroma $1,964

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,700 in Kostroma, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Kostroma $2,700

Budapest costs about 32% more than Kostroma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Kostroma is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$11.72 ₽978

18.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$59.2 ₽4,940

3.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.31 ₽610

39.40%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.69 ₽308

-11.65%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.58 ₽132

35.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.89 ₽74.0

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.75 ₽146

112.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$5.39 ₽449

-30.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.28 ₽107

-10.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.01 ₽84.0

77.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.66 ₽139

50.00%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.96 ₽163

98.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$14.64 ₽1,222

-24.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.55 ₽547

1.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.95 ₽1,248

-1.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.07 ₽173

-11.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.76 ₽147

16.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.03 ₽169

16.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$4.08 ₽341

-4.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.93 ₽77.3

6.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.75 ₽62.4

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.63 ₽136

-3.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.92 ₽76.7

-27.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.54 ₽296

124.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$11.92 ₽995

-47.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.20 ₽100

5.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.65 ₽221

-23.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.49 ₽40.96

210.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.46 ₽289

-4.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.35 ₽29.46

291.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$11.76 ₽982

68.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.83 ₽69.2

119.28%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$39.5K ₽3.3M

-24.52%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$39.1K ₽3.3M

-13.56%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$188 ₽15.7K

-8.91%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.10 ₽759

158.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$9.89 ₽825

135.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$38.56 ₽3,218

75.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$24.29 ₽2,027

-22.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$9.55 ₽797

-2.62%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$350 ₽29.2K

52.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,197 ₽517.2K

170.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$111 ₽9,247

-10.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$66.2 ₽5,521

-34.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$147 ₽12.2K

-24.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$180 ₽15.0K

-33.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$515 ₽42.9K

61.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$275 ₽23.0K

126.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$811 ₽67.7K

96.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$532 ₽44.4K

119.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,209 ₽184.4K

163.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,486 ₽124.0K

161.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$737 ₽61.5K

123.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

19.56

-67.02%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kostroma: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Kostroma

$275 22.4% 55.8% $347

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Kostroma

$265 21.6% 2.8% $7.3

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Kostroma

$189 15.4% 15.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Kostroma

$207 16.8% 5.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Kostroma

$227 18.5% 35.2% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Kostroma

$58 4.7% 33.1% $28

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kostroma

$7.2 * 0.6% 83.7% $37

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 $515 in Kostroma. 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 124% 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 $59.0 in Kostroma. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $265 in Kostroma – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇺 Kostroma

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

277,393

💱 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 Kostroma 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Kostroma

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 Kostroma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,842 in Kostroma. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kostroma, 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 $59.0 in Kostroma. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kostroma, where all-in costs run around $1,228, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kostroma it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kostroma – 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 Kostroma. 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.