Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kyiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyiv: $1,005 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Kyiv
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Kyiv Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Kyiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kyiv

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,005 in Kyiv, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Kyiv $1,005

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,556 in Kyiv, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Kyiv $1,556

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,107 in Kyiv, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Kyiv $2,107

Budapest costs about 61% more than Kyiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Kyiv is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$11.04 ₴495

26.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$33.92 ₴1,522

77.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$7.59 ₴340

31.23%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$1.72 ₴77.2

96.51%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$0.84 ₴37.58

153.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.60 ₴26.73

211.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$1.32 ₴59.0

184.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$1.97 ₴88.4

81.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.36 ₴60.9

-16.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$0.90 ₴40.34

104.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.46 ₴65.4

63.70%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$1.97 ₴88.2

94.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$10.39 ₴466

9.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$5.41 ₴243

24.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$8.90 ₴399

65.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$1.19 ₴53.3

54.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.55 ₴69.4

29.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.86 ₴83.6

26.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$2.74 ₴123

37.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$0.60 ₴27.07

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$0.49 ₴22.07

110.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.38 ₴62.1

13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.60 ₴27.05

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$3.41 ₴153

133.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$5.51 ₴247

9.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$0.95 ₴42.62

36.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$1.36 ₴61.1

52.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.57 ₴25.50

163.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$11.05 ₴496

149.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$2.25 ₴101

46.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.43 ₴19.26

202.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$4.38 ₴196

351.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.72 ₴77.3

5.23%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$28.8K ₴1.3M

1.72%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$25.8K ₴1.2M

32.15%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$99.5 ₴4,464

70.79%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$7.19 ₴323

233.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$6.47 ₴290

261.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$36.23 ₴1,625

82.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$18.79 ₴843

2.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$5.65 ₴253

68.50%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$411 ₴18.4K

30.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$14.9K ₴667.4K

11.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$74.0 ₴3,321

36.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$39.09 ₴1,754

9.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$97.1 ₴4,354

16.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$120 ₴5,369

-0.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$626 ₴28.1K

28.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$342 ₴15.4K

83.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$1,253 ₴56.2K

23.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$616 ₴27.6K

89.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,637 ₴118.3K

113.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,132 ₴50.8K

250.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$831 ₴37.3K

95.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

17.88

-64.04%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kyiv: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Kyiv

$342 33.9% 45.6% $287

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Kyiv

$192 19% 25.6% $66

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Kyiv

$148 14.7% 34% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Kyiv

$113 11.2% 47.9% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Kyiv

$148 14.7% 12.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Kyiv

$48 4.7% 44.3% $38

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Kyiv

$18 1.8% 59.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $626 in Kyiv. 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 96% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $34.00 in Kyiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $192 – making Kyiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇺🇦 Kyiv

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

04:53 4:53 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

2,908,249 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.99 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 44.86 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.32 UAH (100 UAH = 1.99 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Kyiv 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Kyiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,508 in Kyiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 150% less in Kyiv. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $411 in Kyiv. 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 Kyiv, where all-in costs run around $1,005, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Kyiv it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kyiv – 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 Kyiv. 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.