Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Oral

For one person, living is cheaper in Oral: $727 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Oral
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$727
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Oral

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $727 in Oral, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,619
  • Oral $727

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,104 in Oral, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,524
  • Oral $1,104

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,481 in Oral, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,429
  • Oral $1,481

Budapest costs about 123% more than Oral, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Oral is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Oral
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.94 Ft 4,503
$8.34 ₸3,772
67.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
$34.13 ₸15.4K
79.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.19 Ft 3,291
$8.27 ₸3,740
23.22%
Cappuccino
$3.26 Ft 1,055
$1.93 ₸872
68.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 Ft 690
$1.02 ₸459
109.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 Ft 577
$0.59 ₸267
201.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.71 Ft 1,198
$0.87 ₸392
326.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.77 Ft 1,217
$2.05 ₸928
83.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Oral
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 Ft 371
$1.41 ₸637
-18.44%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 Ft 578
$0.46 ₸209
289.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 Ft 804
$1.61 ₸729
54.66%
Eggs
$3.90 Ft 1,261
$1.49 ₸674
161.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.10 Ft 3,587
$9.03 ₸4,080
22.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 Ft 2,139
$4.49 ₸2,032
47.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,745
$11.28 ₸5,098
30.23%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 Ft 591
$1.24 ₸562
47.58%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 Ft 661
$2.01 ₸909
1.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.37 Ft 765
$2.39 ₸1,081
-0.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.90 Ft 1,260
$3.27 ₸1,479
19.27%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 Ft 320
$0.46 ₸208
115.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.00 Ft 322
$0.32 ₸146
212.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 Ft 511
$0.71 ₸322
122.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 Ft 216
$1.12 ₸507
-40.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,572
$2.28 ₸1,031
249.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.22 Ft 2,009
$7.94 ₸3,589
-21.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 Ft 411
$0.70 ₸316
81.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 Ft 654
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Oral
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 Ft 490
$0.21 ₸94.5
623.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.02 Ft 9,053
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 Ft 1,070
$0.64 ₸290
417.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 Ft 442
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.83 Ft 6,406
$5.26 ₸2,377
277.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 Ft 589
$0.62 ₸281
193.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
$31.2K ₸14.1M
8.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Oral
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$171 Ft 55.3K
$82.5 ₸37.3K
107.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.51 Ft 7,596
$8.75 ₸3,954
168.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.29 Ft 7,526
$14.16 ₸6,401
64.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Oral
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
$55.5 ₸25.1K
21.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.89 Ft 6,104
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.30 Ft 3,004
$3.43 ₸1,549
171.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Oral
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$533 Ft 172.3K
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Oral
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
$33.82 ₸15.3K
194.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 Ft 35.7K
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.4K
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Oral
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$830 Ft 268.3K
$284 ₸128.3K
192.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 Ft 200.9K
$217 ₸98.1K
186.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
$462 ₸208.9K
244.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
$315 ₸142.6K
270.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Oral
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
$429 ₸194.1K
284.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.45
0
-

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Oral: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$622
Oral
$217 65.1% $405
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Oral
$196 * 23.9% $62
Eating Out
Budapest
$223
Oral
$130 41.9% $93
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$218
Oral
$105 51.6% $113
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$168
Oral
$15 * 90.9% $152
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$86
Oral
$62 27.6% $24
Getting Around
Budapest
$44
Oral
$1.5 * 96.7% $43

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 $284 in Oral. 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 285% 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 $34.00 in Oral. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $196 – making Oral the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇰🇿 Oral
🕒 Local time
09:55 9:55 AM
12:55 12:55 PM
3 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
256,960
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Oral 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Oral

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 Oral: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Oral cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 123%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,091 in Oral. 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 Oral, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do food prices compare in Budapest and in Oral?
Groceries cost about 31% 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 eating out cheaper in Budapest or in Oral?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $34.00 in Oral. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Oral?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Oral, where all-in costs run around $727, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Oral it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Oral more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Oral – 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 Oral?
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 Oral. 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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