Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Mykolaiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Mykolaiv: $717 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Mykolaiv
Learn more

Mykolaiv Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Mykolaiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Mykolaiv

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $717 in Mykolaiv, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Mykolaiv $717

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,102 in Mykolaiv, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Mykolaiv $1,102

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,487 in Mykolaiv, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Mykolaiv $1,487

Budapest costs about 126% more than Mykolaiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Mykolaiv is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$8.69 ₴390

60.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$22.07 ₴991

177.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.39 ₴242

89.05%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.12 ₴50.1

191.07%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.56 ₴25.10

282.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.41 ₴18.20

334.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.79 ₴35.47

369.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.55 ₴69.6

143.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.21 ₴54.4

-4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.73 ₴32.74

145.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.48 ₴66.6

68.24%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.74 ₴78.3

124.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.77 ₴439

13.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.39 ₴197

50.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$7.50 ₴337

95.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.07 ₴48.09

71.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.55 ₴69.4

32.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.41 ₴63.1

68.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.11 ₴94.8

84.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.86 ₴38.74

15.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.48 ₴21.62

108.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.02 ₴45.60

54.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.47 ₴20.90

42.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.73 ₴122

191.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$3.55 ₴160

75.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.62 ₴27.69

104.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.19 ₴53.6

70.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.34 ₴15.38

347.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$11.25 ₴505

149.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.58 ₴71.1

109.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.31 ₴14.13

341.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$4.34 ₴195

356.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.63 ₴73.0

11.66%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$28.9K ₴1.3M

3.25%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$19.3K ₴865.0K

75.45%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$155 ₴6,936

10.74%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$5.88 ₴264

299.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$7.01 ₴315

232.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$25.78 ₴1,157

161.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$8.25 ₴370

128.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$3.36 ₴151

176.79%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$243 ₴10.9K

119.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,002 ₴179.6K

318.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$41.83 ₴1,877

138.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$24.69 ₴1,108

76.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$59.9 ₴2,689

84.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$101 ₴4,543

17.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$197 ₴8,854

321.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$126 ₴5,651

393.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$358 ₴16.1K

345.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$258 ₴11.6K

352.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$730 ₴32.8K

699.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$502 ₴22.5K

675.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$425 ₴19.1K

288.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-59.69%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mykolaiv: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Mykolaiv

$126 17.6% 79.8% $496

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Mykolaiv

$163 22.7% 36.9% $95

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Mykolaiv

$110 15.4% 50.7% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Mykolaiv

$167 23.4% 23.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Mykolaiv

$102 14.3% 38.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Mykolaiv

$33 4.5% 62.3% $54

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Mykolaiv

$16 2.2% 64.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $197 in Mykolaiv. 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 289% 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 $22.00 in Mykolaiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $163 – making Mykolaiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇺🇦 Mykolaiv

🕒 Local time

19:40 7:40 PM

20:40 8:40 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

480,080

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.98 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.46 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Mykolaiv 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 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 Mykolaiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 126%, 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 $1,075 in Mykolaiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 149% less in Mykolaiv. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $243 in Mykolaiv. 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 Mykolaiv, where all-in costs run around $717, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Mykolaiv it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mykolaiv – 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 Mykolaiv. 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.