Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Oskemen

For one person, living is cheaper in Oskemen: $897 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Oskemen
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Oskemen Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Oskemen

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Oskemen

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $897 in Oskemen, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Oskemen $897

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,498 in Oskemen, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Oskemen $1,498

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,099 in Oskemen, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Oskemen $2,099

Budapest costs about 81% more than Oskemen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Oskemen is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$12.96 ₸5,835

7.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$26.65 ₸12.0K

126.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$3.96 ₸1,784

151.52%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$3.41 ₸1,534

-0.88%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$1.02 ₸457

108.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.58 ₸263

222.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$1.57 ₸709

138.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$1.68 ₸755

112.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.41 ₸636

-19.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$0.50 ₸223

268.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.29 ₸579

85.27%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$1.72 ₸773

122.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$10.25 ₸4,614

10.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$5.73 ₸2,581

17.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$7.97 ₸3,586

84.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$1.15 ₸516

60.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.98 ₸892

1.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.61 ₸1,174

-9.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$2.52 ₸1,133

49.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$0.89 ₸399

7.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$0.49 ₸219

110.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.31 ₸142

403.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.05 ₸471

-37.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$2.13 ₸960

273.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$4.95 ₸2,227

21.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.45 ₸652

-10.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$1.66 ₸746

25.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.26 ₸117

476.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$1.08 ₸485

205.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.30 ₸133

333.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$2.34 ₸1,052

745.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.68 ₸305

166.18%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$32.3K ₸14.5M

-9.10%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$30.1K ₸13.5M

13.41%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$45.73 ₸20.6K

271.62%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$11.11 ₸5,003

115.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$22.78 ₸10.3K

2.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$26.16 ₸11.8K

153.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$19.98 ₸8,993

-4.00%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$5.02 ₸2,259

89.64%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$66.5 ₸30.0K

706.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$2,760 ₸1.2M

501.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$115 ₸51.7K

-11.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$80.4 ₸36.2K

-46.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$98.0 ₸44.1K

15.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$122 ₸55.0K

-2.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$341 ₸153.4K

136.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$224 ₸101.0K

180.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$650 ₸292.7K

138.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$576 ₸259.2K

102.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,118 ₸503.5K

402.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$810 ₸364.8K

389.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$794 ₸357.5K

104.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

19.5

-67.03%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Oskemen: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Oskemen

$224 25% 64.4% $405

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Oskemen

$193 21.5% 25.1% $65

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Oskemen

$174 19.4% 22.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Oskemen

$80 8.9% 63.4% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Oskemen

$187 20.8% 10.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Oskemen

$36 4% 57.6% $49

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Oskemen

$3.6 * 0.4% 91.7% $40

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 $341 in Oskemen. 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 105% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $27.00 in Oskemen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $193 – making Oskemen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇿 Oskemen

🕒 Local time

09:09 9:09 AM

13:09 1:09 PM

4 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

354,770

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Oskemen 4,530 km ≈ 6 h 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 Oskemen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,346 in Oskemen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oskemen, 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 $60.0 in Budapest and $27.00 in Oskemen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Oskemen, where all-in costs run around $897, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Oskemen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Oskemen – 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 Oskemen. 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.