Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Magadan

For one person, living is cheaper in Magadan: $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.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Magadan
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,005
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Magadan

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

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

  • Budapest $1,621
  • Magadan $1,005

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,585 in Magadan, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,555
  • Magadan $1,585

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,164 in Magadan, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,489
  • Magadan $2,164

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

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Magadan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.99 Ft 4,551
$11.46 ₽975
22.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
$36.52 ₽3,107
65.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 Ft 3,241
$6.39 ₽544
55.87%
Cappuccino
$3.38 Ft 1,100
$2.77 ₽236
22.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 Ft 692
$1.11 ₽94.3
91.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 Ft 608
$0.57 ₽48.15
228.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 Ft 1,221
$1.68 ₽143
123.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 Ft 1,162
$3.02 ₽257
18.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Magadan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 Ft 368
$1.10 ₽93.3
2.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 Ft 599
$0.72 ₽61.2
155.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 Ft 777
$1.16 ₽98.5
106.03%
Eggs
$3.83 Ft 1,245
$1.51 ₽128
153.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 Ft 3,686
$10.97 ₽933
3.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.74 Ft 2,192
$5.26 ₽447
28.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,780
$12.84 ₽1,092
14.41%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 Ft 597
$1.68 ₽143
9.52%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 Ft 653
$1.80 ₽153
11.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 Ft 767
$1.69 ₽144
39.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 Ft 1,226
$2.36 ₽201
59.75%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 Ft 313
$0.79 ₽67.4
21.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 Ft 334
$0.59 ₽50.3
74.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 Ft 509
$1.47 ₽125
6.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 Ft 216
$0.66 ₽56.1
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,591
$2.66 ₽226
199.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 Ft 1,954
$6.64 ₽565
-9.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 Ft 421
$1.03 ₽87.8
26.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 Ft 676
$2.00 ₽170
4.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Magadan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 Ft 489
$0.52 ₽44.54
188.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.61 Ft 8,982
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.30 Ft 1,074
$2.31 ₽197
42.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 Ft 424
$0.36 ₽30.42
261.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.78 Ft 6,436
$5.02 ₽427
294.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 Ft 591
$0.86 ₽73.4
110.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
$34.8K ₽3.0M
-15.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
$32.1K ₽2.7M
6.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Magadan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 Ft 55.3K
$108 ₽9,180
57.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.98 Ft 7,802
$5.71 ₽486
319.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.42 Ft 7,621
$7.40 ₽630
216.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Magadan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
$34.01 ₽2,894
94.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 Ft 6,239
$22.93 ₽1,951
-16.35%
Cinema Ticket
$9.52 Ft 3,098
$6.18 ₽526
54.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Magadan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$537 Ft 174.6K
$389 ₽33.1K
37.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
$7,208 ₽613.3K
130.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Magadan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 Ft 33.0K
$70.7 ₽6,014
43.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
$49.87 ₽4,243
-13.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 Ft 36.7K
$130 ₽11.1K
-13.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.6K
$114 ₽9,684
4.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Magadan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 Ft 262.0K
$433 ₽36.9K
85.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 204.7K
$299 ₽25.5K
110.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
$840 ₽71.5K
84.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
$573 ₽48.7K
103.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
$1,927 ₽164.0K
191.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
$1,333 ₽113.5K
197.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Magadan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
21.33
-69.85%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Magadan: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$629
Magadan
$299 52.4% $330
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Magadan
$204 20.8% $54
Eating Out
Budapest
$224
Magadan
$165 26.3% $59
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$217
Magadan
$121 44.3% $96
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$169
Magadan
$164 3% $5.1
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$85
Magadan
$46 45.6% $39
Getting Around
Budapest
$43
Magadan
$6.2 * 85.7% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $433 in Magadan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $37.00 in Magadan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $204 – making Magadan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇷🇺 Magadan
🕒 Local time
10:09 10:09 AM
19:09 7:09 PM
9 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
89,193
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Magadan 7,330 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Magadan

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 Magadan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Magadan cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,507 in Magadan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Magadan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Budapest or in Magadan?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest and $37.00 in Magadan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Budapest and in Magadan?
Groceries cost about 26% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Magadan?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Magadan, where all-in costs run around $1,005, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Magadan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Magadan more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Magadan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Magadan?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Magadan. 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.

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