Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Makhachkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Makhachkala: $1,009 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
Learn more

Makhachkala Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Makhachkala

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,009 in Makhachkala, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Makhachkala $1,009

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,562 in Makhachkala, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Makhachkala $1,562

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,115 in Makhachkala, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Makhachkala $2,115

Budapest costs about 60% more than Makhachkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Makhachkala is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$10.20 ₽851

36.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$31.73 ₽2,648

92.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.48 ₽457

85.95%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.65 ₽221

23.02%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.17 ₽98.0

82.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.61 ₽51.1

191.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.94 ₽162

91.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.94 ₽246

28.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.10 ₽91.6

4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.71 ₽58.9

152.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.41 ₽118

76.60%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.53 ₽127

154.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.99 ₽917

1.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.39 ₽450

22.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.03 ₽921

33.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.70 ₽142

7.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.75 ₽146

17.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.75 ₽146

35.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.78 ₽232

40.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.81 ₽67.4

22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.61 ₽51.1

63.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.23 ₽103

28.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.74 ₽61.8

-9.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.33 ₽278

139.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.92 ₽661

-21.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.10 ₽91.4

15.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.02 ₽168

0.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.54 ₽44.80

181.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.70 ₽225

22.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.40 ₽33.48

242.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$5.71 ₽477

247.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.84 ₽70.2

116.67%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$41.0K ₽3.4M

-27.27%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$37.4K ₽3.1M

-9.48%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$110 ₽9,172

55.72%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$5.49 ₽458

328.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$8.44 ₽705

175.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$35.62 ₽2,973

89.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$23.57 ₽1,967

-19.86%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.13 ₽512

51.71%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$348 ₽29.1K

53.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,288 ₽441.3K

216.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$80.1 ₽6,688

24.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$54.1 ₽4,518

-19.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$102 ₽8,539

7.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$112 ₽9,353

6.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$460 ₽38.4K

80.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$315 ₽26.3K

97.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$891 ₽74.4K

78.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$556 ₽46.4K

110.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,226 ₽185.8K

161.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,492 ₽124.5K

160.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$622 ₽51.9K

165.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

21.45

-69.93%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Makhachkala: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Makhachkala

$315 31.2% 49.3% $307

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Makhachkala

$206 20.4% 20.3% $52

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Makhachkala

$153 15.1% 31.6% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Makhachkala

$124 12.3% 43.2% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Makhachkala

$157 15.6% 6.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Makhachkala

$48 4.8% 44.4% $38

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Makhachkala

$6.9 * 0.7% 84.5% $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 $460 in Makhachkala. 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 165% 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 $32.00 in Makhachkala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $206 – making Makhachkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

11:32 11:32 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

604,266

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Makhachkala 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Makhachkala

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 Makhachkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 60%, 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 $1,513 in Makhachkala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Makhachkala, 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 $32.00 in Makhachkala. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Makhachkala, where all-in costs run around $1,009, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Makhachkala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Makhachkala – 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 Makhachkala. 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.