Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Polevskoy

For one person, living is cheaper in Polevskoy: $919 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Polevskoy
Learn more

Polevskoy Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Polevskoy

🇷🇺 Russia

$919

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Polevskoy

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $919 in Polevskoy, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Polevskoy $919

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,412 in Polevskoy, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Polevskoy $1,412

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,906 in Polevskoy, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Polevskoy $1,906

Budapest costs about 78% more than Polevskoy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Polevskoy is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$8.70 ₽726

61.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$32.59 ₽2,720

86.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$5.35 ₽447

93.83%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.72 ₽227

27.21%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.14 ₽95.0

81.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.66 ₽54.7

168.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$3.66 ₽305

0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$4.73 ₽395

-19.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.16 ₽96.4

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.84 ₽70.4

120.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.22 ₽102

96.72%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$1.49 ₽124

167.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$10.72 ₽895

6.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$4.76 ₽398

44.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$11.29 ₽942

28.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.98 ₽166

-5.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.79 ₽150

19.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$2.17 ₽181

5.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.71 ₽226

49.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.83 ₽69.6

22.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.72 ₽60.0

37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.85 ₽155

-14.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.52 ₽43.25

34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$2.94 ₽245

173.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$6.36 ₽531

-2.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$0.87 ₽72.5

42.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.77 ₽148

16.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.60 ₽50.0

165.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$2.36 ₽197

45.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.37 ₽30.93

259.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$7.11 ₽593

187.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.80 ₽66.7

141.25%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$53.3K ₽4.4M

-45.33%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$41.2K ₽3.4M

-15.68%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$93.3 ₽7,790

87.05%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$6.92 ₽578

241.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$9.32 ₽778

153.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$32.24 ₽2,691

113.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$27.42 ₽2,288

-29.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$5.94 ₽496

73.57%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$374 ₽31.2K

43.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,915 ₽493.7K

184.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$48.76 ₽4,069

104.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$30.22 ₽2,523

43.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$91.6 ₽7,643

21.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$54.2 ₽4,526

119.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$413 ₽34.5K

101.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$303 ₽25.3K

107.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$940 ₽78.5K

68.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$492 ₽41.1K

143.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$2,242 ₽187.1K

155.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,461 ₽121.9K

170.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

20.32

-68.26%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Polevskoy: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Polevskoy

$303 33% 51.8% $326

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Polevskoy

$202 21.9% 22.9% $60

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Polevskoy

$153 16.7% 32.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Polevskoy

$110 11.9% 50.6% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Polevskoy

$101 11% 39.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Polevskoy

$44 4.8% 50.7% $45

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Polevskoy

$6.6 * 0.7% 85% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $413 in Polevskoy. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $33.00 in Polevskoy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $202 – making Polevskoy the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇺 Polevskoy

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

04:45 4:45 AM

3 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

55,182

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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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Highest

Between locations

Budapest Polevskoy 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Polevskoy

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 Polevskoy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,379 in Polevskoy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Polevskoy, 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 $33.00 in Polevskoy. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% 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 Polevskoy, where all-in costs run around $919, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Polevskoy it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Polevskoy – 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 Polevskoy. 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.