Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Moscow

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,793 in Moscow, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
Learn more

Moscow Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Moscow

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,793 in Moscow, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Moscow $1,793

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,813 in Moscow, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Moscow $2,813

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,833 in Moscow, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Moscow $3,833

Budapest is about 10% cheaper than Moscow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Budapest and Moscow sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Moscow by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$11.81 ₽1,004

18.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$57.9 ₽4,925

4.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$7.25 ₽617

37.38%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$3.64 ₽310

-7.14%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$1.65 ₽140

29.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.81 ₽68.7

130.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$4.72 ₽401

-20.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$5.42 ₽461

-34.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.25 ₽106

-9.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$1.00 ₽85.4

84.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.71 ₽146

39.77%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$1.91 ₽163

100.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$14.59 ₽1,241

-22.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$6.65 ₽566

1.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$14.46 ₽1,229

1.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$2.03 ₽173

-9.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.86 ₽158

8.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.03 ₽173

16.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$3.93 ₽334

-4.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$0.93 ₽78.7

3.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$0.70 ₽59.8

47.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.55 ₽132

0.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.96 ₽81.4

-31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$3.41 ₽290

133.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$11.56 ₽983

-48.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.20 ₽102

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$2.49 ₽212

-16.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.95 ₽80.9

57.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$40.22 ₽3,419

-31.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$3.56 ₽302

-7.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.86 ₽72.9

51.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$11.77 ₽1,001

68.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.90 ₽76.1

101.11%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$38.7K ₽3.3M

-24.23%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$38.0K ₽3.2M

-10.28%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$191 ₽16.2K

-10.95%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$8.72 ₽741

175.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$9.98 ₽848

134.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$42.15 ₽3,584

57.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$45.14 ₽3,838

-57.51%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$9.31 ₽792

2.26%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$811 ₽68.9K

-33.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$27.0K ₽2.3M

-38.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$110 ₽9,356

-7.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$63.4 ₽5,386

-32.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$146 ₽12.4K

-22.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$184 ₽15.6K

-35.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$1,469 ₽124.9K

-45.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$820 ₽69.7K

-23.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$3,026 ₽257.3K

-48.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$1,494 ₽127.1K

-21.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$9,853 ₽837.7K

-42.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$4,613 ₽392.2K

-13.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$1,741 ₽148.0K

-6.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

19.56

-67.13%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Moscow: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Moscow

$820 44.7% 30.3% $191

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Moscow

$263 14.3% 1.9% $4.9

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Moscow

$204 11.1% 8.9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Moscow

$210 11.4% 3.6% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Moscow

$226 12.3% 33.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Moscow

$61 3.3% 28.7% $25

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Moscow

$52 2.8% 19.4% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $1,469 in Moscow. 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 7% higher in Moscow, 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 $58.0 in Moscow. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $263 in Moscow – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇺 Moscow

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

05:49 5:49 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

12,700,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 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 = 85.02 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.36 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Moscow 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Moscow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Moscow is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,690 in Moscow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 46% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $811 in Moscow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Moscow at $1,793. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Moscow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Moscow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.